


The Clinic

by IreneClaire



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Team, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-05 23:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneClaire/pseuds/IreneClaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While working a frustrating human organ trafficking case with no leads or progress, a friend asks for help in investigating what appears to be drug and medical supply thefts from a small local clinic. Features OC Doctor Alphonse 'Ponch' Ramirez and wife Ellen. New OC Jasper Mitchell. Danny, Steve but really a general team fic with unavoidable whump-ish drama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Note: This story will move at a slow but steady pace.

**Chapter 1**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The clinic had once been a large rambling two-story house. Doctor Adrian Parker had purchased it and the five acres of property it sat on as a half-whim and half-germ of an exciting idea. He and his wife, Martha, had moved to the islands from blustery Chicago. He, to continue his work as a reputable surgeon at a large hospital and Martha, to raise their young, active six-year old son. Young Alan came to them very late in life and they lovingly denied him nothing.

But soon after arriving and settling down, it took only one impressive Hawaiian tropical storm to teach Adrian Parker valuable lessons. In the flurry of the aftermath, as he treated every type of injury imaginable and then, every type of person from every walk of life … Adrian felt he needed to do more. It was a starkly emotional epiphany for him as the poorest of poor called out for help. While it certainly was nothing new - for many fine doctors graciously volunteered their skills and time - Adrian Parker became wholly driven to do  _more_.

With only the most essential of medical supplies in a large backpack strapped to his back, Adrian was in a remote area treating the recovering and still injured local residents when he stumbled across the nearly dilapidated property. Over two weeks after the devastating event, he had been going home to home, tent to tent, or simply kneeling by distraught people in the ruined streets when he saw it.

The two-story house was on a low-rise and he snuck in through the unlocked door, amazed that the storm hadn't completely demolished the old place. But the roof was sound and the frame rock-solid, without fault. Inside, he saw in his minds-eye what he could do and so on impulse, he purchased and then renovated the grand old building.

Parker came from a long family of wealthy investor's and doctors and with Martha by his side, he took the challenge on with a distinct pride. It allowed him to exercise a true desire to help people who didn't know him more than as 'Doc Parker'. Six months later while he jockeyed time between his full-time hospital job and his new project, the Medical Mission Free Clinic was born.

Nearly twenty-five years later, Martha had passed and Adrian had retired. His son, also now a surgeon, had been deeded the Medical Mission Free Clinic and was the acting President. However, Doctor Alan Parker had been born with a silver spoon and an odd personality. In short, he was distinctly different from his parents and, especially from his father. People would notice but not be able to put their finger precisely on what or why.

Skilled and quite intelligent, Alan was technically a fine surgeon. Yet different; remarkably different.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

After visiting his father, Doctor Alan Parker didn't feel like working that day. So, he simply didn't. Instead, he sat for hours in a local coffee shop mindlessly watching the patrons come and go. He was remote and unfriendly and no one offered him a good day or even a passing smile.

He sat there alone frowning in disgust as his father's ancient weedy voice grated nastily in his memory. Year after year he could repeat the words by heart, syllable by aggravating syllable.

_"Apply yourself, Alan. You could be such a great doctor. Your natural skills rival my own yet you laze about and ride on coat tails. I don't understand what makes you tick or what you want out of life."_

The talk would move to inquiries of Doctor Jasper Mitchell's well-being and affairs. His father's pet clinic had developed the odd instances of favoritism over the years and this time, the elder Parker had latched onto the young Mitchell. This was all building to yet another nit-like comparison which raised Alan's hackles and rankled his mood.

However, much more recent words from that very morning preyed on his mind, forcing him into a weighty preoccupation about the health of his own future. One he'd been manipulating quite happily for years. Now it could be jeopardized by what he'd been told.

After being almost rudely summoned, he had just visited his father the prior afternoon at the manse. Though Alan lived in the former gardeners cottage on the property, it was often a chore for him to travel the white pebbled drive and approach the front door with such leaden feet.

Certain aspects of the long-lived family business were quite privately entrepreneurial to the jovial patriarch of the clan, Doctor Adrian Parker; the local clinic for example which had been a true labor of love. Born of a desire to give back to the humble community and to truly uphold the Hippocratic Oath, it certainly meant more to Adrian than to his bored son. But one day, it would truly all be his and Adrian wished vainly for that divine understanding to settle in Alan's heart.

In reality, Alan could not care less for the rundown insignificant shack of a place, except that it offered a fine cover for other illicit habits he'd learned could yield his own entrepreneurial achievements. Since having free reign of the clinic as a child, he had learned every nook and cranny. But instead of love, he had adopted an utter disdain for it and for its patients. A feeling that had only grown through the years.

More cutthroat businessman than surgeon, he harbored odd needs and tested other plans. His only perceived curse was that wonderful day of reckoning which was taking a painstakingly long time to be celebrated as made evident by their clans' penchant for living. In fact, Adrian's father - Alan's grandfather - had carried on to nearly one hundred and one; a feat that Alan's own father seemed quite able to duplicate.

Their private entourage of nurses kept the senior Parker comfortable and quite hale despite emphysema and other common ills that a ninety-two year old might endure. Though fully bedridden, Doctor Adrian Parker was sharp as a tack and still reveling in hearing about the clinic's operations and finances. Something that irked Alan to no end since he defined it as a meddlesome inconvenience and ongoing barricade to finalizing his private plans. The man had no business remaining as actively involved as he did. His old body might be failing but Adrian Parker handled multiple conference calls a day, even Skyping if necessary to remain involved where he could across his empire.

He knew every minute change on the stock market, as well as the weather which might impact shipping lanes during hurricane season. He remained involved in not only local politics, but also the larger portions of his business, yet still yearned to hear about his private pet project: the clinic. He even had the odd feeler out for news about former patients, current patients and what the general opinion of the place still was; and he was becoming less and less pleased over time.

Adrian had entrusted the clinic to his son six years earlier, convinced he'd done the right thing as Alan slowly built his own medical practice. But that trust was being severely violated on a daily basis.

Adrian was made to understand that the Clinic was becoming rundown and developing a poor reputation. The acreage set aside as a community garden was overgrown and untended.

Because of these rumors, each meeting with his father had become a test and Alan was failing. For him, the morning visit was made all the worse for he had been forced to describe in detail the esteemed work practices of one, Doctor Alphonse Ramirez. Alan was mortified to learn that his father virtually fawned over Ramirez's expertise, fine reputation and standing in the community. None of which seemed to have suffered from his well-publicized trial and subsequent penance. His father's words had antagonized him and he'd bristled almost in a rage against the blind praise.

Attempting to be reasonable though growing more alarmed by the moment, Alan had paced the brightly colored master bedroom. Out of habit, he had counted the irritating ornate blocks from bed post to window and then back again.

_Twenty-three._

Pausing in a mild temper -  _eighteen_  - for a nurse to check the oxygen tank, Alan then resumed counting on the return trip.  _Twenty-three._

"He's nothing more than a criminal, Father. One that we have been saddled with by court order." The next insult had been his father's glee in even setting Alan straight on that finer point.

"Saddled with? No. Not at all." The senior Parker laughed through a hoarse, rattling cough that left his cheeks pink and his lips nearly blue. His reaction made Alan cease his pacing to stare warily at the man.

"I arranged for this, boy. I coordinated in advance with the courts. I wanted him here and then I made it happen. He's a fine man and his reputation will not only elevate our clinic, it would serve you well to learn from him."

"Learn from him? Learn!" Angry and feeling jilted by his own father's planned secrecy, Alan had spat the words out in a fury. He had banished the nurses from the room for the first time he could recall to round on his father. Alone. Being compared or needing to listen about Jasper Mitchell was one thing, but this was entirely beyond comprehension.

"Learn?' Alan was snarling as he leaned menacingly over the foot of the large vintage sleigh bed which was wholly out-of-place on a tropical island. But it was yet another family treasure dating back for as far as he could remember. "You forget yourself, old man."

The transformation had been sudden. Alan didn't even realize what he'd done as his father shrank back into his elevated monogramed pillows from the palpable hatred. After that, Alan had barely managed to remain civil before being excused by his ill-at-ease father.

Alan's plans would soon be dashed if his father learned the truth about the monies destined for the clinic. Year after year, thousands of dollars were siphoned away and used for Alan's personal business dealings. None of which were legal. Few dollars actually were spent on the unlucky white elephant and what was invested, only benefited Alan again.

His father was bedridden and he, Alan Parker, was the only individual entrusted with the clinic's future. It was easy to lie to Adrian about the budget, where monies were spent, and then to cook the books through skilled accounting expertise. As far as he knew, his father hadn't seen the clinic in nearly seven long years and Alan planned to keep it that way. If Alan had been a hint smarter though, he would have at least suspected the wily old man and his desire to know so much more. The fact that he had orchestrated the arrival of Doctor Alphonse Ramirez should have provided a valuable clue.

After his own father, managing Doctor Jasper Mitchell was bad enough but Alan could do that, too and he had perfected it to a science. They were peers and Jazz didn't question much because he was so involved with his beloved patients. Alan left him alone to cater to the community and that singular focus protected him by default. Jazz's dedication also kept the locals calm and appeased; it was or at least had been, a nearly perfect situation.

What Alan feared now was the much too astute and larger than life personality of Alphonse Ramirez and not necessarily how he had gotten to the clinic. This new older man in his life questioned everything and demanded perfection regardless of the reason behind a court-ordered term of penance. It was Doctor Ramirez's very nature to be involved, take charge and offer direction. People respected him and they responded to him almost too willingly. In fact, he was slowly but surely whipping the clinic into shape and would undoubtedly uncover the long-hidden truth behind its inner crumbling walls. A move which was precisely his own father's personal objective.

This skilled physician, who he hadn't known his father was clearly infatuated with on a few levels, was going to eventually spell out his doom. But whom he should have really feared, was Adrian who had finally grown more worried and suspicious as Alan's demeanor changed over time.

Instead, after that most annoying father-son conference, Doctor Alan Parker dwelled on his anger. He decided not to work at the clinic that day. Jasper would be there and that was good enough.

Checking the late morning time, Alan eyed the blue sky and bright sunshine from the windows of the coffee shop. A new donor had quite unexpectedly come into the clinic just three days earlier. Her blood type was a perfect match and other than the second degree burn on her arm, she was essentially in a state of fine health.

With a warm smile and though it was a risk, Alan had taken immediate advantage of the opportunity. Her patient questionnaire was partially completed as with most of their poorer clients. Living alone and working part-time at a fast food restaurant, Kylie Yeun would not be missed. In fact, she was already waiting for him at his other office. His real office. The one that gave him a true purpose and sense of importance.

She was there. Waiting so very kindly under lock and key for her procedures to take place.

He had planned to handle the operation later in the afternoon but there was no reason why he couldn't move the surgery up as long as his associates were equally available to assist him in the tricky procedures. In fact, due to the procedures' complexity, another walk-through to ensure nothing went wrong would benefit all of them.

Agreeing to the changes in his mind, Alan was whistling a happy tune as he strode to his car. From there, he would make his initial phone calls from its air-conditioned privacy.

_**~ to be continu** **e** **d ~** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: writer's fan fiction license taken with Googled and researched medical facts! Apologies to my beta because I "touched it" again. *sigh* Blame the breakfast bunny. Thank you all for the great reviews on the first chapter - have a wonderful Holiday, everyone!

**Chapter 2**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**"** Another one?" Steve complained as he took the call from an HPD sergeant. "Where? Did you contact Bergman?"

Muttering in disgust, Steve ended the short conversation and waved the team together. "Another body was found. This time by a beach comber who was out early this morning after the storm cleared. Max is on the way and HPD has the area sealed off, but the media got wind of it already."

The team departed in two separate vehicles as usual, with precious little to say. Each was lost in their individual thoughts about the never-ending frustration of their latest long-term case. Going on eight months, they either had one badly abused body washing up on a beach or found in a dumpster. Or oddly, a confused, distraught person appearing as if by magic at a hospital or clinic with a fresh and unexplainable jagged red scar. That raw mark was first-hand proof of a missing body part which could not be explained by the former owner who additionally had no recollection of the prior seventy-two hour block of time.

Until that morning, they had all hoped the person or persons responsible had stopped in their dire game. Almost three weeks had gone by without activity but evidently that long period had only been a momentarily lull. A respite before another offering was ushered forth. Pulling in to the remote beach parking lot, they walked past the swarm of officials, civilian gawkers and media representatives to find Doctor Max Bergman, their medical examiner, already buried up to his nose in the grim remains.

"Wow." Taken by a rare surprise, Danny literally choked as he caught sight of the bloated, discolored face. Cupping his fist to his mouth, what he saw was definitely not expected. "That's ...new. Different."

"I concur, Detective." Max rose to his feet, gloved hands busily bagging evidence. "This is the first time that the individual's corneas have been removed and the lids sewn neatly shut over the ocular orbits."

Danny half-turned with a disgusted wave of his hand but morbid curiosity drew him back. "What else?" Danny asked as Steve had the fortitude to lean down and twitch a side of the sheet. The look on his face silently imparted what the medical examiner so cooly verbalized.

"Heart, lungs and I daresay …everything of value." Max motioned towards the body. That too was different and now truly shocked, the team could only listen to Max's first impressions.

"This time, the corneas plus the kidneys have been removed along with other critical organs. But, I will need to do a through examination back at my lab. I am positive that anything viable has been taken and that the entire body was been harvested."

"Harvested? Max, that's .. sick." Listening to Max's laundry list of excised organs, Kono shuddered in repulsion not only at the use of the word. "Is our victim a male or a female?"

The body was badly decomposed and abused by the rough storm and salt water. Clothing was distinctly lacking and the body was so badly bloated, it was near impossible to know from where Kono had chosen to stand far back. "Can you even tell? Can you tell us when this might have happened or how long the victim has been dead?"

"I believe this victim to be male but I will have a great deal of work to do before I can finalize any of my reports. I can't possibly hazard a guess about the time of death right now." Max confirmed with a stark formality. The cause was obvious enough and with a tight expression, chose not to voice that particular fact.

Heaving a sigh with a light cough into the crook of his arm, Steve flicked the sheet back into place. "Let us know, Max. As soon as you have anything confirmed. We need something of value ourselves."

"Absolutely, Commander." The dedicated and skilled medical examiner agreed quickly as he bent back down. He was already enthralled with the initial findings and the team left him to do his work. But he called them back. "There is something more I might suggest."

Steve scowled because what they had in those dismal remains, in a way, was enough. "What?"

"Transplantation must be done in a timely fashion." Even Max looked a bit pale at his own budding theory. "Either our perpetrator or perpetrators have recipients waiting in the wings already tissue and type-matched, or he or she has escalated in a new direction."

"I'm not sure I follow." His scowl deepened at that.

Max rose to his feet again. "Certain tissues do not need a constant blood supply and they don't need to be transplanted as quickly as organs. These tissues can be stored for some time. Organs are much more sensitive and delicate."

Almost annoyingly he paused to gather his thoughts and find the right words. "Hearts and lungs are particularly sensitive to being without a blood supply and must be transplanted within four to six hours of retrieval. In the interim, the organs are stored at 4 degrees Celsius for proper preservation. The liver and pancreas must be transplanted within 12 hours of donation and the kidneys within 24 hours."

"Fantastic." Danny breathed out under his breath as he arrived at Max's final point very quickly. "So, he or she has a recipient or buyer in mind, or .."

Steve interrupted with an even angrier expression. "Or, these have become trophies."

He rubbed his eyes hard with another brief note of thanks for the medical examiner. "Keep this theory quiet. I don't want it hitting the media."

"This makes seven plus the two abducted live ones." Kono recapped unnecessarily. "Maybe we got a break with this change. He or she has never touched the eyes before and the idea of trophies." She grimaced and shook her head at the new learnings.

"Maybe." Lacking conviction, Chin muttered under his breath as they retraced their steps back to their vehicles. The case was wearing on all of them as time went on and they had zero leads to act upon. The change in modus operandi could provide a new important clue, or could just be a horrifying transformation to a new undefined level of insanity. This latter concept supported Steve's personal theory but with a new, alarming twist.

Regardless, people across many communities were scared and the media was having a field day with the lack of data which only exacerbated the general publics' insecurity. Five-0 and HPD were under the microscope as much as the too limited clues left by their unknown perpetrator.

"He or she has become more confident and refined." Steve held that theory based on two unsolved deaths from nearly twenty-four months earlier which he felt were related to the current string of events. It potentially made Kono's count of seven deaths, actually nine in total.

Those two were rushed and nearly botched jobs, the circumstances of which even made Max Bergman cautious to agree with Steve. Each certainly lacked the finesse of what the team was now investigating and the demographic was completely different. However, Steve believed that the two were the first attempts and that their general success bred a disturbed confidence that was becoming manic. If Max was correct, it was even worse than he thought.

Until that day, the commonalities for the more current deaths or abductions were few, but they were there: victims were predominantly between the ages of eighteen and thirty. Single and living alone, male or female, and mostly from a poorer social scale. Nearly all were Asian and none had medical insurance but most were essentially healthy, meaning they didn't smoke, do drugs or suffer from a significant prior illness. In other words, all the victims might have been considered poor, but they led good, clean lives.

Primary transplant organs were the bounty and were taken with a surgeon's skill. After being excised, wounds were precisely sutured closed regardless of the victim's final end state. The much earlier two lacked some of this care and consideration possibly out of uncertainty or even fear. As they returned to their vehicles, Steve voiced his theory again though and as a team, they at least agreed that things were escalating.

Their suspect was likely a current or ex-medical professional and fastidious about his or her work. A careful selection process to identify eligible victims had been developed and refined over and over. Hesitancy had been replaced by a strong egotistical vanity. As sick as it was, there seemed to be an attempt at properly respecting the body and giving it a normal appearance after surgery. Post surgical scars were small and precise; it was as if the disposal of the body was handled by a different person entirely.

None of the victims would be missed by family or friends, and definitely not by society. If the victim didn't reveal his or her-self by a twist of fate, no one would ever know to care and the abductions, deaths and organ thefts would continue.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: Happy and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! You will all probably get another chapter sometime later today.

**Chapter 3**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"So Alphonse, what are you going to do? I know that something's wrong." Ellen Ramirez asked with a genuine curiosity. She was pouring them both coffee after her husband, Alphonse, more commonly called by his nickname, Ponch, had come home from a half day shift at the clinic. It was difficult for him to leave most days, but this time something more had driven him back in a desperate need to be more private.

He absently toyed with the sugar in the bowl before using three generous spoonfuls in his mug. Ellen raised her eyebrows since he typically took it black and completely unsweetened before huffing loudly in surprise to catch his attention. But he had nothing to say about it. Almost spitefully, he took a sip and had to bite back the sour expression which had his wife grinning in confusion.

"Okay. Spill it. What happened today?"

"Supplies are missing. If they even ever arrived." Ponch declared. He was now tapping the table with one hand as he gazed blindly at the well worn wood and yet still described his concerns. He had spent a great deal of time over the last few weeks reviewing the clinic's inventory and woeful lack of equipment, medicines and general supplies.

"Certain, very important medications are missing or in too short supply. Morphine, codeine, OxyContin, hydrocodone and Demerol." He was clicking things off from a mental list he had been developing over the last five month period of time where he'd been working pro bono per court order.

"Valium and Xanax." He frowned and tapped harder. "What worries me the most are the stores of ethylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and amphetamines which seem to be unaccounted for based on prior inventory calculations."

Ponch was both worried and irked but didn't yet have enough information to go on. His process was slow for a number of reasons, the biggest being the poorly kept records and lack of accountability around the management and dispensing of medications. While both he and Doctor Jasper Mitchell maintained dutiful records of what was prescribed, neither of them had real visibility into the actual stores or inventory processes which were more than woefully lacking.

"They should be accounted for and locked up safely at all times." Ellen agreed. "It's required legal protocol for any of these controlled substances to be closely monitored. I don't understand how something like this could be so lax."

He completely agreed but was at a loss to explain the origin of the problem. "Ellen, these are very specific medicines in enough volume to one, be suspicious and two, be making a decent amount of cash for someone. A certain someone who doesn't need the money but likes the thrill of it; a person who likes to play with danger and if hasn't done it already, will probably kill someone."

Ponch had his assumptions there too and Ellen knew all to well where he was going.

"Parker?" She offered with a knowing glance from her side of the table. "He essentially owns the clinic and his father has been so well-respected. Why would he want to and would he really be capable of doing something like this? I don't see any benefit in it for him."

Neither of them understood the state of the place based upon the purported wealth of the Parker family. Yet, the clinic was a sad, little rundown hovel that was barely keeping its head above the water-line. Regardless of other possible suspects, Ponch had contrived a particular dislike for Alan Parker which was not entirely of his own doing since Parker had been his main antagonist since day one.

"He would. At least based on the bit that I've been exposed to. He's nothing like what his father is said to have been like when he ran the clinic." The big doctor hesitated with a deepening frown giving him an even farther away expression. He changed the subject with his head down and his breath puffing away the swirls of steam coming off his coffee mug.

"On top of all of this, yesterday a man came in with a fresh surgical scar on his lower back. This is the third man in five month's time claiming he woke in an alley with no recollection of where he'd been for three days."

"Kidney?" Ellen asked in horror as her husband made a face and nodded. "There's been another already? Didn't HPD and Five-0 just report finding a body on a beach after this last big storm, too?"

He had been loathe to tell her since it was so dire an experience. But after a restless night and a long morning where he'd now found disturbing proof of clinic inventory running astray, Ponch needed to vent all of those things preying on his mind.

"This is now the third man. Oddly, the surgical site was infected and he was feverish, so I insisted that he be admitted to the hospital. I then reported it to Steve. Five-0 has interviewed the man and he'll heal physically." Ponch was as horrified as his wife. The idea of kidnapping someone for their body parts and then either killing or abandoning that lost soul to heal in some rundown motel or back alley was a sick atrocity. Whomever was involved, was selecting young healthy enough individuals. Men and women alike with non-existent families. Most were poorer and now one man had wound up at their small clinic in shock and babbling frantically about what had happened.

"What does Jazz say? At least about the inventory that seems to have gone missing. I find it very hard to believe that no one working in that clinic missed this laundry list and he's practically there as much as you are." Successfully changing the subject, Ellen grinned when her husband's face softened. From day one of his court-induced penance, he had leaned towards Mitchell.

"That boy." She snorted in amusement because while young, Mitchell was far from being a boy. Just a year or two shy of thirty, he likely would not have appreciated the sighed out reference much either. Like it or not though, that boy had already been taken under Ponch Ramirez's wing where he had a strong mentor and ally.

"He's so single-minded about his patients. He has little inclination to question what other things might be happening around him. He has no interest in administrative issues or anything much beyond the examination room or surgical theater. Don't get me wrong, Mitchell is quite diligent about his own prescriptions but he's got no mind for the front office." Clearly exasperated about this short-coming, Ponch shook his head and completely missed his wife's amused expression.

She smiled behind her hand since administratively, her own husband had to teach himself that dull skill for he was as single-minded about his patients as Jasper Mitchell. Even then, he preferred to leave the bulk of that work to others. Once he found his administrator, Mary-Pat McCoy at Tripler, she had remained in his employ for years since no one else would do. Plus the woman was as abrasive and forthright as the big doctor she worked for. No one would dare cross Mary-Pat nor get away with any type of duplicity.

"Really? Is that so?" Ellen coughed out through her fingers almost demurely. She knew from long experience that Ponch's former administrator would easily hold a similar opinion about Ponch, himself. That is, until Mary-Pat had whipped him into some sort of dutiful shape. She then quickly hid behind her coffee cup when Ponch looked up, nearly laughing out loud when he missed her sly comparison completely.

"Jazz can only say that the clinic has never operated any differently since he's been there. They've never had enough supplies or medications. The shelves have never been adequately stocked and he's learned to cope with the short-comings. He puts up with Parker for the patient's sake and he's never met the old man. Rumor has it that Adrian Parker has dementia and his estate is in turmoil." Lost in thought, Ponch made an unhappy face.

"This issue with the medication and the supplies is all Parker's doing. I'm sure of it. But as for what, how or why … I have no idea. At least not yet." When Ponch felt something as strongly as he did now, he held no punches and gave no ground. He had begun inquiries of his own. Asking about the elder Parker and his reputation; his intent on building and funding the clinic. What he learned about Adrian's reputation so far had surpassed that of the son who seemed cut entirely from a different cloth. Her husband's disgruntled attitude made Ellen smile again as she sipped around the steaming mug of coffee.

"Alan Parker simply isn't interested in the clinic. This community needs a clinic, but a good one. Not this travesty and I don't understand why he or his father simply doesn't close it down or even sell it." Ponch rapped the table before taking a healthy swallow of coffee and then twitched his lips against the over-sweet taste. "Something at least should be questioned about these missing medications. The value on the street is very significant."

"Now what will you do? You need to be careful with this, Alphonse, and not make allegations that are not substantiated. It's also going to be a defamation of character issue if you go about it the wrong way." Tenacious as ever, his court-ordered probation and subsequent retirement from Tripler had taken on new meanings. But he was the new guy in this unique situation for the first time in a very long time, plus he was on a rather serious type of probation. He couldn't afford to cause trouble or make waves that could have long reaching and potentially very negative impacts for him or his own family.

However, Ellen could see the sparkle of interest as he finally stopped the incessant tapping and met her gaze evenly. Pointing her finger at him in warning, she made her own demand quite clear. "Tread carefully, Alphonse."

"He's over-whelmed with this obscene case of organ trafficking, but I'm going to ask Steve what he thinks before I do anything else." Ellen pulled an impressed face. Her husband was angry, however he was already being cautious and rightly so. She approved and didn't need to say more so she merely nodded in agreement.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Sitting behind his office desk, Steve was deep in thought after listening to Ponch's detailed story about the possible happenings at the small clinic. It would be easy enough to investigate the Parker family without their knowledge and after all the Ramirez's had done for them, Steve had zero issue with the request. Time and resources to actually kick the request off properly would be the current stumbling block. Even though he was anxious for his own reasons, Ponch understood that fact, too.

'Hey, boss!" Bouncing in, Steve smiled instantly because he could sense that Kono had gone out for an early morning run at the waves. Arriving right on time, her good mood was catchy and she'd generously brought a coffee for each of them. He sighed happily when she chose and then pushed a large cup across the desk.

"How was it?" He asked. At least one of them had time for short but refreshing diversion. They were each catching their bits of reprieve here and there, around an odd schedule and the concern that another victim would show up at the most unexpected of places. Evidently Kono had her chance early that morning. But Steve had been up half the night reviewing documents from Max and trying to find new relationships all the way back to their first Jane Doe.

"Perfectly perfect. Couldn't ask for a better sunrise or way to start the day!" She could see by his expression that he was distracted though. Sobering immediately, Kono groaned. "Does Max have more on our Dread Case? There's not been another body, right? It's bad enough Doc had that guy stroll in to the clinic yesterday."

Steve rolled his eyes as if asking for patience. Danny had christened the organ thefts and victim murders the 'Doctor Dread Case' and it had stuck. Even after Steve had questioned the reference since the only 'Doctor Dread' that he had a hint of being aware of was the reggae music producer.

_"That makes no sense, Danno. The real Doctor Dread is an artist - practically a musician!"_

Danny's snarky retort about Sylvester Stallone and Dredd, the movie, sent them all laughing. It was closer, but still not quite right as Chin reminded him since the Dredd character wasn't a doctor plus, the character had actually been framed. Regardless in this case, the inappropriate moniker had stuck like glue amongst the four of them. Thankfully only within the walls of their offices, but Steve didn't find it amusing. Though honestly at the end of the day and with no viable leads, none of them was really laughing.

"Not exactly. I need a favor, but only when you have time. Actually, it's an honest inquiry." Steve breathed in the hot steam appreciatively before continuing.

"Doctor Ramirez has possibly uncovered suspicious drug activity at the clinic. He's concerned about some possible dealings and asked if we could do a background check on Doctor Alan Parker. Records are oddly shoddy and he has a feeling that their stores of drugs have been tampered with or even stolen."

Kono at first smiled and grinned at the challenge. "So, he actually thinks the owner is involved? That's a fairly steep allegation to make against that wealthy family."

"I know, but Doc thinks there's something to it and he can prove at least some of the missing drugs. This Alan Parker is the son. He's running the show for the old man. The senior is in his nineties and no one has seen him in years." Steve confirmed. But the more Kono thought about it, her smile faded. The old clinic seemed the perfect place to provide a cover for a few types of rather illegal activities.

"I'll check into the family and see what I can dig up. It would help to get list of clinic employees and volunteers too, just to be thorough. I'll also check with HPD to see if there's been reports or rumors on the street." Kono suggested. This was easily something she could do around their first and higher priority case work. "It's just going to take some time with all we have on our plates."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

What no one knew though, was that Doctor Ramirez's influence had already begun to extend to Doctor Jasper 'Jazz' Mitchell. That morning's latest rumblings had finally broken through his preset and naïve habits.

He had let the ideas perk around in his brain after Ponch left for the day and then he had dwelled a bit longer on things he hadn't originally questioned. During a lull in caring for his patients one late afternoon, Jazz spent more time in the large supply closet puttering around the shelves and comparing them to bills of lading and other musty documents. He did the same during an ad hoc coffee break and then locked himself in one night after hours with the lights purposefully dimmed. The more Jasper quietly questioned and investigated, the more he learned that Doctor Ramirez was fairly correct in raising his concerns.

In the wee morning hours, Jazz woke abruptly, surrounded by papers and his notes which were draped across the old desk of his tiny office. His head was pillowed on his arm and he'd been sleeping quite soundly. As he moved, some of the papers fell lazily to the floor. It took him a minute to realize that he was still at the clinic and he chastised himself for having fallen asleep over such a mundane task.

Stretching large, he yawned and then froze with his hands held high over his head when he heard the male voices. Those out-of-place sounds in the middle of the night had woken him and he'd not even thought about it. Without knowing why, Jazz felt fearful as he turned off his small desk lamp and quickly piled up the papers. He had nowhere to go, so folded himself tightly under the cramped center of the desk where his feet had just been. He then pulled the chair close and hoped that it looked as if no one had been there.

Until he remembered his dark green Jeep Cherokee was still parked outside.

Sweat broke out on his forehead as he almost stopped breathing. Jazz heard the voices more clearly now and recognized Alan's whining tone immediately. But there was something more now, too. There was a change, a shift in the tenor and Jazz felt an unexpected spark of apprehension when he heard the hot-blooded anger in the man's voice. "He's here. Find him."

Jazz wasn't necessarily a coward but he knew this new trouble was out of his league and he suddenly sensed that he had no idea who Alan Parker really was. There was no valid reason that Jazz could think of for the other doctor to be visiting the clinic at that hour of the night, either. He could explain himself; he could explain falling asleep at his desk while doing paperwork.

But Alan Parker? No. There was no reason for the man to be there regardless of the fact that he owned the clinic. No reason because he lacked dedication, and especially with what sounded like at least two or three additional men. It made more sense for Jazz to be there, than for the incompetent, disliked owner.

Quaking under his desk, Jazz pulled out his cell phone and fumbled through a text message which he sent hastily to Doctor Ramirez. It was all he could think to do because he knew the big doctor would understand; even if he were too late.

**_"need help at clinic. J."_ **

He had barely hit the send button and tossed the device into the small metal waste bin where it fell to lay under a pile of old, discarded papers when footsteps approached his office. Hiding under his desk Jazz tried to will them away, but they were on him before he could react.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

By long-learned habit, Ponch could sleep virtually anywhere and at any time of day or night. It was a necessary skill he had acquired in the Army and then couldn't afford to lose. Conversely, the smallest relevant sound would wake him fully. At three in the morning, the gentle vibration of his cell phone on his side table did the trick. The vibration moved the phone noisily counter-clockwise where it thrummed against the digital clock. First going for his reading glasses, Ponch frowned for the odd intrusion since such a thing hadn't occurred since his retirement from Tripler.

**_"need help clinic. J."_ **

He read it twice before the 'J' sunk into his brain. "Jasper?" Eyes then wide, he was on his feet in seconds and waking Ellen. "Jazz is in trouble. I don't understand … but Ellen, look."

Brandishing the text message under her nose, he was dressed moments later and grabbing his car keys.

"What does this mean? What kind of help could he possibly need at this hour?" Ellen was instantly confused and as worried as her husband. "Are you going there?" He didn't answer the first question because he clearly didn't know either as he continued out of the bedroom with one shoe on and one shoe off. As for going, he hadn't even hesitated to think twice about it.

"Alphonse!" For some inexplicable reason Ellen was frightened when she heard the tinkle of his car keys. "Alphonse! I"m not sure you should go. You can't take this risk .. you can't afford to get into trouble."

But he was already gone before she had set her own feet to the hardwood floor. By the time she made it to the front door of their home, she could just barely see the tail lights of their large SUV disappearing down the street.

Hurrying down the highway, Ponch's mind was racing. Any number of things could be wrong from the most benign of arguments to a badly ill patient, to something even much more dire. He had no doubt that Jazz's trouble at the clinic was going to be Alan Parker though. None at all. So it was there that his brain continued to settle and his worry only grew as bold calls to Jazz's cell phone rang before going to voicemail.

"Something's wrong." Ponch muttered under his breath as he closed the distance to the remote clinic. At best, it was a thirty minute drive and not only due to traffic but also because of its poorly maintained last few miles of pitted town road.

Though he felt strange for doing it, he parked on a side street to walk quietly along the few darkened, dusty houses where he paused under a tree. The clinic was equally darkened and somber in the moonlight without a car in sight. He sighed and frowned as he looked around and slowly crept forward. He saw no one or nothing that seemed out of place, but instead of immediately checking either the front or rear doors, Ponch walked around the building to peer into windows with one hand shading the moon's glare.

Again, nothing was out of place and he saw no movement whatsoever. Ponch sighed unhappily as he shook his ring of keys to find the one that Jazz had so recently provided him to the small clinic. Using the rear door, Ponch cautiously entered and leaned against his back against the door as it softly snicked shut. He waited then to just listen before checking each of the main rooms before making his way to the small rear bedrooms that had been long ago converted to tiny offices.

Jazz's own door stood wide open and his desk was spotlessly clean. It was another habit that Ponch secretly approved, but this time it was too clean. Much too clean in fact without a stray piece of paper or manila file folder. Nothing had been readied for the next day's shift. Leaning over, he turned on the small desk lamp and rapped his knuckles worriedly on the bare surface. Out of interest, he tried once more to call Jazz's cell phone.

The loud off-synch metallic vibration startled him almost immediately. Three times, then four he heard it before the call went to voicemail. Then Ponch was auto-dialing again as he rounded Jazz's dilapidated, old desk and waited. On the cusp of the first vibration, he was on his knees and digging through the metal waste basket where he found the cell phone buzzing away proving that Ponch himself, was the caller as his name flashed across the screen.

When his thumb found the strength to end the call, Jazz's screen changed to show the young doctor had missed four recent calls. All of which, Ponch knew, would be from him.

In a rising unfamiliar feeling of near panic, he called Steve first barely aware of the time and not even remotely apologetic when the foggy-voiced man picked up on the third ring. Waiting in the gloom for Five-0 to arrive, his next call was to his wife.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Stunned by what was happening, Jasper had nothing to say as he was lugged along behind Alan. Arriving at the clinic with four other men, Alan had summarily demanded that the young doctor be taken along with a few large boxes of particular medical supplies which had been hidden in a cabinet he didn't even know existed in the old kitchen.

One of the men had then driven Jasper's car while he'd been bustled into the back of Alan's waiting SUV.

"I've been putting up with your grandstanding for too long. Not to mention your rudeness, lack of respect and disdain for my skills." Alan calmly said from the front passenger seat. He turned partially to face the rear where Jazz sat trapped between two large men.

"Why are you here? Is it the missing drugs? The lack of supplies?" Knowing full well those were the reasons, Alan poked sarcastically at Jasper without actually wanting a reply. He grinned conspiratorially at the two big men who flanked the young doctor in the back seat.

"You shouldn't have looked. You shouldn't have gotten involved." Alan informed him. "I'm going to first blame my dear old father and then Ramirez for what's going to happen next. Because then you ..  _you_  of all people had to get involved, didn't you, Jasper? I'm sorry to say that this is going to be so much more than you could have guessed."

His tone was almost sad and remorseful. But the nasty glitter to his eyes said so much more and Jasper's fear grew exponentially. Alan was suddenly different and more menacing. The man was more in his natural evil element and Jasper didn't know what to do.

"Alan. I don't understand." His voice was weak and tinny in his fear. Refusing to answer, Alan turned his back to face forward and to let his latest captive dwell.

They had zip-tied Jasper's hands in front and then had driven for a time turning once towards the ocean and a more industrial setting. Now they were inside a large warehouse near a series of old docks for the sounds of waves lapping its massive sides. They had taken both vehicles directly into the place and then large steel doors had been drawn tightly shut. Overhead banks of lights had flickered on and the vehicles had been parked side by side.

The warehouse stank of rotten fish, motor oil and old diesel which mixed unhealthily with the salt air. Oddly though and not so under the surface, was a faint antiseptic odor. Alcohol, iodine and something more akin to that of a hospital. After being pulled from the SUV, Parker sighed deeply at Jasper's growing distress and shrugged before turning away to stroll towards a dark corner.

"To answer your last question. You may never understand it, boy." He ground out in a dark drawl. Much the language of his father yet with a distinctly less friendly sound.

"It is the drugs then?" They were marching Jasper towards a rear stairwell and he automatically tried to slow his pace, but was shoved forward. Postal boxes and supplies that appeared to be from the clinic were stacked along a wall. From what Jasper could see, Ponch was clearly correct in his assumptions.

"You're dealing drugs. You're using the clinic as a front." He repeated himself and the lost his voice. He saw Alan's sly smirk from the side and knew he was wrong; it wasn't just the drugs. The expression was confusing and Jazz felt a cold trickle of sweat streak down his back. Holding a hand up, Alan stopped their small procession, turned and folded his arms with an obvious arrogance. He considered Jazz from head to toe, so much so, Jazz found himself squirming and the man to his right tightened the death grip he already had on his arm.

"Most of my patients don't understand their final contribution. But with you here, I have a chance to at least show ..  _you_. What better way to share this but with another doctor. A valued peer." The dangerous smirk was more frightening than the words and Jazz suddenly felt sick.

"Actually, yes. This does seem like the right thing to do being as we are such good colleagues, you and I." Glaring once towards his two men, Alan gestured towards another section of the warehouse. By the looks of it, the large steel doors were nearer what would be the docks and Jazz felt a true fear sink into the pit of his stomach.

"No. Alan." The gasp was full of a harsh denial. Now needing to be physically dragged, he was breathless and pale by the time they'd escorted him there. With a grand flourish, Alan produced a key and unlocked one of the large doors and a blast of frigid cold air hit them all.

As the brief swirl of mist passed by, Jazz found himself standing in the doorway to a freezer that held numerous small boxes. Coolers really; white with large red lettering. Each was labeled in way he was most familiar with and he felt his legs begin to wobble.

"Alan?" Wheezing against the rising nausea, Jazz was given just enough time to absorb what he was being shown before he was dragged backwards. He was heaving against a sudden nausea by the time Parker closed the doors and relocked them.

"Don't worry. Not all are being used right now; their use depends upon my schedule and the need. However, the drugs are merely a cover, my boy. The clinic is simply a method for the means. While they do provide a bit of profit, what happens here in this warehouse is the real business .. behind the false business."

Parker laughed at Jasper's ashen complexion for his peer was so very naïve. The commercial refrigeration units and large freezers were just one benefit to the rambling warehouse. Originally used as part cannery and part import-export facility for a once booming fishing trade, he had needed to do little to convert particular rooms to his needs.

Other smaller rooms had been duly transformed to allow the surgeon to manage the finesse required to extract the organs where the true revenue would be found. His patients were brought to him through various means, including the random occasion presented to him through the front doors of the sad little island clinic.

Regardless of the source, he could weed out the single loners from those who might be missed. He also preyed on the homeless and any other migrant who would least likely have nosy family. As long as they were essentially healthy of mind and body which was part of the challenge.

Parker eyed Jazz again and sneered. "With your love of ethics, I'm sure you've checked off that little box on the driver's license about being an organ donor. You've always been so very noble, Jasper. You have always had so much to offer."

He fought then. In a sheer, blind panic he fought and struggled even if all he could do was fling himself through a door and into the ocean. But he was no match for the two men who easily held him captive with the third and fourth now joining to offer even more support. "You can't do this!"

"Who's going to look for you, Jasper?" The threat was whispered in his ear and Jasper knew the truth of it.

Halting by another door, his addled brain was slow this time. Slow to recognize a room transformed into an operating theater and slow to realize he was seeing the partially draped body of a young Asian woman.

"The corneas were stunningly beautiful on this one." Alan was about to wax on about the strength of Kylie Yuen's heart when Jasper choked and then gagged.

"She." He knew the name from his clinic and he remembered the reason for her visit. "Hand." Jazz couldn't speak enough to get out that he knew her case and that her only reason for visiting the clinic had been to care for a deep grease burn. In fact, he could see the formerly white bandage on the lax hand which lay across her stomach.

"She's dead?"

"Yes, Jasper. As I just said some coolers are being used .. other's are not." Bored and perhaps even amused, Parker patted the quaking arm with a great deal of condescension. "Though I don't do it all the time because it is admittedly a big risk. Tell me? What better way to identify an eligible donor than through my lovely trusted clinic."

The distraught young doctor was pleading inconsolably by the time he'd been dragged back to the same metal stairwell, but it fell on deaf ears. No one would look for him and no one would ever find him. Now too, he had Kylie Yuen's white-draped body embedded forever in his mind.

Sobbing hysterically and still bound, Jasper was forced down each steep step of the old metal staircase. At the foot of the landing, one of Parker's men slid the two bolts on a heavy steel door. One bolt was down low by the floor and the other was up high. Once open, Jazz realized that there was no handle on the inside. There would be no way out at all.

Under a truly panicked protest, he was bodily thrown to the dirty stained floor of the small concrete storage room which offered no windows or manner of light. Once the door slammed shut and was bolted firmly from the outside, he was plunged into complete darkness without another word from Parker or the men.

"What are you going to do with him?" One man softly asked Parker, who now seemed to be seething in a rage.

Staring at the storage room door and barely able to hear the anguished pleas of the man inside, he hesitated before walking away in a huff. "I don't know yet. Leave him for now until I decide. We have paying clients to tend to and shipments to finalize."

"And money to bank." The man added with a content sneer, pleased when Parker smiled in return.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"That message could mean anything." Steve insisted much to Ponch's dismay. He'd also come alone, which surprised the older doctor. But as Steve described it, the team was exhausted from working on the larger case which was taking precedence over Alan Parker's background check. While on the phone too, Ponch had admitted there were no signs of a break-in or struggle and that nothing was out-of-place. The only possible hint was a much too short text message.

On top of it all, what Steve was saying now was far from a popular method of theorizing for the worried doctor.

"He could have dropped the phone. There's no car and no sign of a struggle. Even you admit that there's nothing missing. Could he have taken a patient to the closest hospital by himself?"

"No, Steve. It's none of those things. He's in trouble." Groaning in a disbelief that was perking quickly into becoming a hotter anger, Ponch hid his tightly fisted hands in his windbreaker. It was costing him to keep his voice reasonably low but he was flustered and beyond surprised to have to submit to a line of questioning. "It's been a couple of days since I asked for help. What has Kono found out?"

"Honestly, not too much, Doc. The other case is keeping all of us on our toes right now and Kono hasn't had much time to dig into things. So far, she's run standard background checks and searched for formal complaints against the practice. But, I know she hasn't found anything telling or suspicious on either the father or the son. Her initial inquiries with HPD regarding any complaints about increased drug activity in the area have also come up empty."

It was continually hard for him to stifle his temper though he had no real right. In fact, he had reported the latest Doctor Dread victim much earlier in that same week and he certainly knew of the larger stakes that Five-0 was up against. With an effort born from years of needing to develop patience in a strict military setting, Ponch managed to keep his tone fairly calm. "I'm telling you Jasper Mitchell is in trouble. Something more happened here tonight."

It was Steve's turn to groan uncomfortably. Too early for an actual missing person's report and with no hint of an altercation, there wasn't much anyone would be able to do. With only a bland text message and no other real evidence, there was precious little he could request be done even if he did believe the man. Which of course he did. "I'll put an APB out for his Jeep Cherokee after running his plates through DMV. Do you have a photo of Mitchell here in the office; maybe in his files? What of family?"

While they all would eventually have his official drivers license picture, something more current would always be helpful. Not wanting to wait, Steve wanted something more tangible in his hand.

"Sure. Photos I have; but Jazz doesn't have a family that I know of." Turning sharply on his heel, Ponch went to the reception area where an array of photographs made up a huge walled collage. It wasn't difficult to find more than one of the popular doctor to satisfy Steve's needs. Stalling for a moment, Ponch took one down for himself. The first photo which included him as well and the baby he'd helped deliver the first day he had met both Jasper Mitchell and Alan Parker. Still looking at the photo, he felt Steve enter the room behind him.

"His address, too. We will run it through DMV on his plates, but if you have that now .. maybe if it's close I can swing by and check it out." Ponch nodded again before going to a file cabinet where employees and volunteers all had small thin files. Paging through was easy enough and he quickly found the address.

"He's renting a small bungalow a few blocks from here." Ponch roughly shoved his hands back in to his windbreaker after he handed the files to Steve. "I'm going with you."

Clearing his throat distractedly, Steve was forced to agree even though they both knew the young doctor wouldn't likely be there. In case there were problems though, Steve made one thing quite clear as they walked outside.

"You'll stay in your car if there's any sign of trouble." Steve informed him before they left. They then followed each other to the small dark cottage. Steve's Silverado first, tailed closely by Ponch's SUV.

The big doctor waited impatiently as Steve quickly surveyed the quiet property first from the relative safety of his own vehicle. The word 'bungalow' fit the description of the tiny one-bedroom cottage perfectly. Fairly out in the open with little shrubbery or trees, it was well-kept but there was nothing to see and little to hide. After a few minutes, Steve waved Ponch out to join him. It was painfully obvious that no one was there and nothing had happened. The front screen door wasn't locked but it was apparent that was out of habit and an ease of living style; not necessarily due to any type of deception.

"Damn." Ponch whispered as his last tiny shred of hope evaporated. On the short ride over, he had envisioned blasting the young doctor from one end of the island to the other. But now, that certainly wouldn't be happening.

"No one has been here." Steve reconfirmed as soon as they entered the front door. Other than some clothes strewn about the sofa and what looked like breakfast dishes in the sink, nothing was out-of-place. The two stood in the darkness of the tiny kitchen and then didn't move when Steve thought he heard a rustling sound.

"Did you hear that?"

Ponch frowned and listened hard. There was an odd soft noise from the one bedroom, followed by a light thud and a snuffling growl. Then they heard a few clicks and clacks from its nails on the hardwood floor as the animal approached. It was obvious that he or she had been sleeping on the bed and they'd disturbed it.

"Dog." Ponch whispered with a sightly worried tone. "Uh, I think he's got a dog. He might have said that to me and I'd forgotten."

"Great. Now you remember?" Steve breathed out as a low rumble threatened them from the rear of the house. The sound was deep, intimidating and meant business. "Any idea what kind?"

"Nope." The dog answered the question himself as he peered around the corner of the one bedroom. He was backlit by the moon and completely white in color. Since he was backlit, they couldn't properly see his dark shadowed eyes but they could certainly hear his displeasure at not knowing the late night intruders.

Steve palmed his weapon just in case the dog was uncontrollable as he edged back to the door. "We should leave him or I can have animal control come out for him. But I don't want to have to do anything if he comes at us."

The dog sturdily waddled around the corner and then stopped so they could get a better view of each other. Short of height but stiff-legged and very broad-chested, he halted in the narrow hallway and the growl deepened in warning.

"What is that?" Steve whispered as he reluctantly readied his weapon with one hand and put his other on the handle to the screen door. But Ponch peered closer in an attempt to recognize the breed and then smiled. The dog had a prominent egg-shaped head and wide-set black eyes. Based on the stance and posture, he suddenly knew and he could understand Steve's confusion since the breed wasn't all that popular.

"It's General George S. Patton's dog." At one of the words, the dog's tail slowly began to swirl. The growl ceased and all three waited the other out as they judged what type of trouble one might be to the other.

"What?" Steve hissed as the Bull Terrier took a step closer and he got an even better look at the impressive muscular build. The dog was stout, solidly built with an odd profile. He was nearly all white except for splash of brindle along one hip.

Steve measured the dog's bold posture and stuck to his original decision. "Leave him, Doc. Let animal control come for him."

"No wait." Ponch breathed out. "Patton. Come." He tried the last word he'd said, but got nothing.

"George?" Again, nothing and so gave a short chuckle because it was obvious and suited the stalwart dog so well. It was as if the dog even knew what this new big man would say next as his tail waved slowly again side to side.

"Okay. General it is." Ponch was smiling as he whispered, "General, come."

The tail waved faster at the success and the dog boldly ambled forward as the doctor crouched down with his hand out. Steve sighed in relief but didn't take his hand from either gun or door should the dog abruptly change its mind.

"General. Who's a good boy?" He waited the animal out as they studied each other eye to eye and nearly nose to nose.

General's black nostrils flared, waffled and snorted in Ponch's direction, breathing in the same odors that his Jasper brought home on a regular basis. A mix of other strange people, faint smells of sickness, astringent medicines and strong antiseptic. He sneezed and whuffled more but it was familiar and comforting, and so General heartily approved.

Completely ignoring Steve, he nudged Ponch's hands and got stroked kindly for his efforts. Glancing over his shoulder, Ponch announced something that Steve was already anticipating.

"I'm taking him until we find Jasper."

At the sound of his master's name, General quickly looked up into the doctor's face and then out towards the screen door. He was confused and clearly off whatever schedule he expected Jasper to be returning on.

"He's in trouble." With General now leashed and in hand, Ponch insisted on that fact as he followed Steve out of the house.

"We'll find him either way, Doc." Steve stressed as he contacted HPD on the radio to issue the requested APB. They stood staring at each other in silence until Ponch realized that was going to be it. There was nothing else to be done.

"Go home. This is an open investigation and I will find resources to investigate his disappearance." Steve gently prodded the worried doctor towards his SUV.

"You know what to do if he contacts you again. In the meantime, we and HPD will do what we can."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Adrian Parker leaned forward in his bed and then heavily thumbed the volume up on the large high-definition television that was mounted directly across from him on the wall. He was watching the late night news and the second story focused on the alleged disappearance of a local young doctor. Positioned as a missing person's report, the telecast implied something even more grievous such as an abduction. But there was no proof and anyone with information was requested to contact the Honolulu Police Department. The man's dog was being cared for by local friends in the hopes that he would be found soon.

"No." Eyes-wide, Adrian gasped at not only the significant twenty-four hour period of time which had elapsed, but also at the smiling photograph of the missing doctor.

Standing happily on the steps outside the Medical Mission Free Clinic with a client and her baby, was Doctor Jasper Mitchell.

"What has he done." It wasn't a question that Adrian asked, but a stunned statement of fact. He wasn't yet putting two and two together; not really. Without a doubt though, Adrian did know that his own son was responsible at least for Mitchell's disappearance.

Locked in horror, Adrian listened to Alan being interviewed for a brief ten seconds where he expressed his genuine concern for his missing colleague. "Alan. What have you done?" The senior Parker felt a cold chill settled in his chest for the recorded tone that was at least insincere to his practiced ear. The news report ended with the reporter noting that everyone associated to the clinic had been interviewed thus far in conjunction with the case, but there were no leads, persons of interest or known motives. The young doctor was well-liked in the community, had no obvious enemies, and anyone knowing more was encouraged to contact HPD anonymously or otherwise.

Sinking weakly back into his pillows, Adrian could have cried real tears as he tried to figure out what to do. He had no proof and the police had no proof. Yet he knew without a doubt that his own son was responsible for Mitchell's disappearance.

Adrian slowly leaned over on his elbow so that the could take the telephone from the side table near his bedside. He turned it on and then off three times before deciding that the right person to contact was his trusted lawyer.

_**~ to be continued ~** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES: General is a Bull Terrier (not a pit bull) - think Spuds Mckenzie from the old Bud Beer commercials. Though I am a die-hard Australian Shepherd person, I have always been intrigued by the breed especially after watching Black Sheep Squadron where Boyington (Robert Conrad) also had one in that TV show. They are neat dogs and can be very sweet - though tough, protective, devoted to their owners and extremely stubborn. They have egg-shaped heads, narrow triangular eyes and are super smart. It is true that General Patton favored the breed very much! His most famous one was "William the Conqueror" or Willie for short and there are a few interesting stories about him if you Google.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The lawyer advised Adrian Parker to stay mute because in all reality, they also had nothing to offer the officials except for supposed feelings and off-putting whispers of rumor. As a compromise, Parker demanded that his lawyer at least contact Five-0 and specifically Steve McGarrett, to express the Parker family concern for their missing doctor.

It was the right thing to do but a somewhat odd call, though again, because there was not much to put a finger on or lay claim to. The lawyer hinted at family dispute or at least an uncomfortable relationship between father and son related to the internal runnings of the clinic. Maybe a dissatisfaction about the state of affairs as it transitioned to another family member; possibly even a sense of competition between Mitchell and Parker. Regardless, Jasper Mitchell was a valued employee and the elder Parker, through the lawyer, expressed a genuine concern and desire to help.

The conversation was duly shared with Kono. To date, she had confirmed the elder Parker's philanthropic tendencies and was impressed by his reputation. The clinic was indeed operating just within acceptable standards and sub par to its original purpose and yet, it had no complaints or issues lodged against it or its current small staff of doctors and medical volunteers.

But the son, Alan, was definitely a sketchy character. While he had the grades, smarts and skills, he clearly lacked the drive and enthusiasm purported by his father and hinted at by the lawyer. Kono was having difficulty gaining access to or knowledge of the son's every day activities or dealings. Significantly less visible than his father had ever been, Alan Parker simply kept a lower profile and preferred to stay under the radar. Her basic inquiries revealed poor to very mediocre references and he had few long-term patients or professional associates.

So without solid proof of an abduction or foul play, and with only an abstract text message and even more innuendo, it remained as one man's word against another. There was nothing to be done except continue the search for Jasper Mitchell.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono shielded her eyes from the early Saturday morning sun. The day was going to be a hot one. Bobbing up and down on her board just beyond the best breakers, only she and a few other experts sat patiently waiting in the pretty morning sunshine.

Turning around she edged more into the line up to wait as two others grabbed the next set before smiling smugly to herself. This coming set would be her last before running a necessary Saturday household errands. Then she would meet Danny just before lunch to continue their own private lessons. But for her part, she would be well off the waves and the beach before it was over run by the daily freak show and the high enthusiastic but possibly less-informed newbies.

"This set is epic, Kono." One of her friends hanging nearby gestured for her to take the choice and she greedily accepted.

"Aloha, Benj!' Then she was gone at the right moment and at the right time. Setting in comfortably she found herself in the pocket, reveling and totally missing her competitive days. She was fine until she caught the motion on her right as a black shape dropped in her.

"Get off!" Kono shouted as she pumped her board to gain speed and bypass the ignorant surfer who was dropping in on her wave.

"Hey. Get off!" It all happened too fast and her evasive maneuvers were too late though. Kono had no choice but to abandon her run and ditch her board.

Getting briefly spin cycled, her left knee cracked the bottom before she shot to the surface in a fury. Her board was already in the ripples and a few of her friends were on their way to get it for her. Limping out she only had one target: the lolo wack who had nearly gotten them both killed. She needn't have worried about that issue either because three of the locals had already rounded on him before he could get his feet on the sand. In fact, Benj was already there and by her side making sure she was okay.

"You cut your leg up, sistah." Her anger kept her moving though as she continued to aim for the wack who was now genuinely afraid for his life. Surrounded now by her angry friends, his hands were raised in sincere apology for what he'd done even though he was equally bruised and cut up.

Only when she got closer did she remember she couldn't school him as she wanted. "Damn idiot!" As an officer, even off-duty, she was limited now and she forced her fists to unfurl. But she could and would leave him to the wolves.

Benj smirked as he realized her hands were professionally tied at the same time she did. "Take care of that leg, wahine. We got this, sistah, unless you need help?"

"Nah. I got it. Looks worse than it is. Don't hurt him too much though, brah. I don't want to have to come back out here." Sharing a meaningful look for her friends to mind their communal manners, Kono changed direction to take her board before limping out to her car. She could trust Benj and a couple of others to scare the lolo straight and just enough to keep him off the bigger sets where he obviously had no sense of right or wrong. Some people just had to learn the hard way.

She got a better look at her leg after tossing on a long colorful cover-up by her car. Kono grimaced while wiping the blood off her knee with gauze from her first aid kit, only to have more quickly well up and stream down again.

"Great." She murmured in disgust at the stupidity of the senseless accident. Dabbing at the cut with a wad of gauze, she finally layered as much gauze as she had handy and then wrapped it all thickly with a large bandage. It was a decently sized gash and she wasn't sure if she could actually need stitches. Tossing her board on the roof, she was about to go to the emergency room when she remembered Ponch's clinic. Not sure of his hours, it was just about the same distance and if he were there, she'd like to see him. Besides not having yet ventured to the clinic out of curiosity, according to Steve, their friend was very upset about the continued missing status of Doctor Mitchell.

The APB was still active and an official missing person's report had been opened now. Upon begin interviewed by Steve and Danny at the clinic, Doctor Alan Parker seemed equally distressed by what had happened to his co-worker … and as he stressed so often, his good personal friend. It conflicted with what the lawyer had so nonchalantly shared. Plus, Ramirez was in an ugly mood about the truthfulness of those sentiments.

With nothing to go on and what was bordering on defamation of character as Parker so nastily challenged the ex-TAMC physician after an even uglier altercation, they had to leave him alone and watch from a distance. But they weren't sure what exactly they were watching for and assumed it to be the reported loss of supplies and drugs. Again, mostly rumored and an incomplete thread not quite tied to Mitchell's disappearance. Doubling her case-load, Kono was still investigating the Parker family though and quite discreetly. With Steve and Danny handling the in-person interviews, she had taken a back-seat at the offices to run in-depth background checks on Adrian Parker, Alan Parker and then the general state of the privately run clinic.

The son, Alan, was definitely a sketchy character. While he had the grades, smarts and skills, he clearly lacked the drive and enthusiasm purported by his father. Kono was having difficulty gaining access to or knowledge of the son's every day activities or dealings. Significantly less visible than his father had ever been, Alan Parker simply kept a lower profile and preferred to stay under the radar. Her basic inquiries revealed poor to very mediocre references and he had few long-term patients or associates. Without solid proof of an abduction or foul play, and with only an abstract text message, it remained as one man's word against another. There was nothing to be done but continue the search for Jasper Mitchell.

Since Mitchell had seemingly evaporated into thin air and for the remainder of that week, Parker suddenly stepped up to the plate. It was almost as if he knew his father had reached out to the police through the lawyer. It was an odd act for him to pull more hours, yet it coincided with the medical community who also generously began volunteering their time to keep the clinic door's open. The gestures were benevolent, but even the local clients were worried for their Doctor Jazz who had seemingly disappeared for no apparent reason.

After mulling over what she knew, the vast amount she still was missing, and once more failing at truly stopping the blood related to her current surfing-related injury, her decision was made. Kono winced as she slid behind the wheel and pulled away from the curb, making a right hand turn to travel up the coast towards the small clinic.

Twenty minutes later, she was limping in through the front door and approaching the main reception desk. It was early and only a few patients were waiting in the hard plastic chairs. Leaving her beach bag in the trunk of the car, she was only holding her keys, wallet and cell phone.

"Is Doctor Ramirez here yet?" She asked the receptionist who seemed pleasant enough if not a bit nervous.

"No. We have only morning hours on Saturdays. We close at Noon, so just Doctor Parker is here .. if it's not an emergency, would you like to come back on Monday?"

It was just eight in the morning and Kono shook her head. Her knee had picked up a steady throb and it felt thick and hot through the bandage she'd applied. Besides, she was still intrigued with meeting this doctor that had Ponch in such an uproar.

"I cut my knee surfing and don't think I should wait. Doctor Parker will be fine." Motioning to her knee, the receptionist leaned over the counter to see that Kono was carrying most of her weight on her right leg. The bandage on her opposite leg was already slightly pinked too as blood continued to ooze despite her best efforts.

The receptionist, Mrs. Bishop, was an older woman with her hair pulled up in tight bun. She oohed in sympathy for the state of the discolored bandage. "It's still bleeding and it might need stitches." Kono said with an annoyed sigh.

The woman nodded in agreement as she eyed the bright red blood staining through and then handed Kono a clipboard with a short questionnaire. "Can you fill this out quickly - just the top half is fine - and I will bring you right back?"

Moments later, Kono was sitting alone in a small but pristinely clean examination room. Taking in each and every nook and cranny, other than looking like the old renovated bedroom it once had been, there was fairly standard medical supplies neatly labeled and laid out on the short installed counter tops.

"Ms. Kalakaua? That looks painful. Let's see what we can do to make you feel better." A warm friendly voice broke through her reverie and Kono looked up to meet Doctor Alan Parker. Of medium height and sandy-haired, he seemed friendly enough as he introduced himself.

He was deft and gentle while she sat on the edge of the table. Carefully unwrapping her bandage and apologizing for the discomfort even as he flushed the wound to evaluate the ragged edges.

However, it was taking him an incredible personal effort to prevent himself from gazing into her beautiful eyes.

"Lovely." Parker whispered under his breath as unchecked plans began to churn in his head. Here sitting in front of him was an opportunity which he couldn't find the strength to pass up. Softly clearing his throat to stay on track and in the here and now, he spoke more naturally to his newest patient. "Yes. It does need a few stitches and you'll have to stay out of water until it heals."

"That's what I was afraid of." Kono griped unhappily because now she'd be limited in even giving Danny a proper lesson. The accident messed up her entire weekend plans for doing anything on the beach and she was clearly annoyed.

"I understand. Keeping you surfers out of the waves for an hour is like sheer torture and this is going to be at least a week. I'm sorry if this ruins your weekend but you know the drill." Kono grinned at the truth of the comment and Parker smiled in return.

"I have a lesson to teach at Noon." Thinking of Danny, she quickly checked the time on her cell phone, but it was still very early.

"This won't take more than fifteen minutes, but you're going to have to stick to dry sand." Doctor Parker stressed in warning. He seemed almost too friendly, and Kono found herself looking for the hidden temper or rudeness he'd been rumored to have. Other than not looking directly at her, she couldn't yet fault his care.

"Have you been here long?" She tried to prompt him cautiously to gauge his answer.

"My father founded the clinic." Parker shared the truth easily enough. "He's retired and I've taken it over now."

"It's nice. We sure need one here." Kono breathed out and then winced when he palpitated around the deepest section of the wound. "Is this the clinic where that other doctor used to work? The one that's missing in the news?"

There was a scant pause during his focused examination. "Yes, we are all very worried about Jasper." His answer was simple and left her little to pursue yet he seemed slightly ill at ease. Alan glanced briefly up to meet her eyes and Kono felt a faint pang of anxiety before it evaporated in his easy smile. "The police are doing all they can."

Patting the top of the gurney, Parker motioned to her knee. "Do me a favor and lean back here so I can see this better." He then had Kono scooting back and elevating her knee so he could bring over a light to better examine the area for the stitches.

"It's deep but give me just fifteen minutes and you'll be good as new." Efficient and business-like, Kono had no real complaints about the man as he readied his requisite supplies, needle and surgical thread. She was mulling over Ponch's evident disdain and her short bout of unease when Parker bent over with a small syringe and puckered the skin near the deepest section of the wound.

"This will sting just a bit." The medication was evidently a local anesthetic which he felt would be needed to numb the area before beginning.

"I don't need that for a just few stitches. I can tough it out, Doc." She said with a laugh but he had already begun the process with a short apology.

"You will still be able to drive, but you might as well be comfortable." Parker sighed out calmly, again without looking at her as Kono suddenly blinked her eyes. Her vision dimmed fleetingly and she made a face. Confused by the woozy feeling, she shakily wiped a hand across her eyes as Parker's white-coated shape blurred and then swam in front of her.

"Umm. What?" She whispered as the bed seemed to move and she lost her sense of balance. She knew she was leaning back on the gurney, but wavered dizzily anyway as things turned sideways on her.

Alan took a half-step back to calmly watch as the strong sedative began to take effect. "Ms. Kalakaua? Are you alright?"

His question was coy and meant to judge the sedation and not necessarily her true fears. His smile changed when Kono lost focus and then nearly her ability to speak. Avoiding her weakly seeking fingers, he leaned in again to empty the syringe into the skin just above her knee.

"What's .. happening?" Her voice was slurred and barely audible in the small room. Kono felt her eyes grow heavy despite her best attempts to keep them open. The small exam room blurred and she could barely make out the doctor's much too gentle smile.

"Shhh.. Everything's going to be fine. Just relax for me. You have lovely eyes .. such incredibly lovely eyes." Parker had an even stronger sedative ready in his pocket and he took it out for his final act.

As she lurched on the exam table, he placed his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from trying to swing her legs over the side. "No, no, no. You're only going to hurt yourself. I need you to stay exactly where you are. Right here. You're fine. Relax. Just relax."

His soothing words were barely above a melodic murmur. However, they got through enough to cause a trickle of fear to drop menacingly into the pit of her stomach. But she was too weak to resist as she dimly felt another sharp prick in her arm and a deeper lethargic warmth spread through her whole body. Kono remembered nothing as her vision dimmed to a pinpoint before fading entirely.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Ponch was restless that early Saturday morning. He paced from kitchen to lanai and then back again unsure if he wanted to be inside or outside. Five-0 had nothing to act on and Jasper Mitchell was still missing. A few days earlier, Ellen had been shocked when Ponch came home from the clinic after receiving the frightening text message.

She had anticipated virtually anything upon his return except for the arrival of a bold white dog with a brindle colored hip.

 _"Who is thi_ s?" She squeaked in alarm as General stared back at her, equally stunned by this abrupt change in living arrangements. However, he approved of the woman even though not quite as strongly, she too carried those same familiar scents of medicine. On this person though, those everyday Jasper-like smells took a subtle back-seat to the more pleasant odors of chocolate chip cookies, a well cooked dinner and something suspiciously like pasta. And General heartily liked pasta.

He had studied her, scented her and then wagged his tail. She in turn had automatically crouched down despite her initial tone, and petted him in just the right spot behind his ears. Continuing to gently wag his tail, General decided that he liked Ellen, too.

 _"Meet General George S. Patton. General for short."_ Ponch announced with a wave of his hand indicating that General had free run of the house. Not known to be an animal lover, this move on her husband's part was exceedingly unparalleled.

 _"What are we doing with him. Exactly? Where's Jasper?"_ Ellen asked as the handsome dog lumbered past with toenails clicking rhythmically across the hardwood floors.

 _"Something's wrong. Something bad has happened."_ Tiredly and with a voice racked with worry, Ponch explained what little they knew.  _"We can't find Jasper. His dog is staying here with us until we do."_

From that morning on, General sat facing the front door without twitching a muscle. He sat cocked on one hip and in such a way so that he could alternately watch the big doctor and the door should it open. He only left when Doctor Ramirez was out of sight for too long and he felt obligated to go find the man. Or, when he was grudgingly made to eat and take a forced trip outside to relieve himself.

Then he was back to sitting in his spot.

Five-0 had interviewed everyone at the clinic, including Alan Parker. There was no proof of foul play; there was no proof or evidence of any kind to indicate where Jasper Mitchell might have gone off to, and that sad fact continued hour after hour and day after day. No one had seen anything or heard anything. Jasper Mitchell had no enemies and so, had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Ponch walked past General for the kitchen and trailed his fingers across the soft white skull. General thumped his tail once at the touch and then resumed his study of the front door. He could go to work at the clinic, but he'd achieved his required hours for the month based upon his court order. With a subtle anger, he knew that he could still go to the clinic despite that achievement and easily do something constructive to avoid the boredom and worry.

However, Ponch couldn't promise what would happen should he come face to face with Alan Parker.

The man was lying and Ponch had no proof there either. They had one brief altercation after Parker had been interviewed first by Five-0 and then by the media. After providing his bland statement, he had fleetingly caught Ramirez's eye and paused in a peculiar way. It had happened in such an instantaneous flash, Ponch had almost been uncertain. Almost.

It was Saturday morning and the clinic had opened at eight o'clock. Checking his watch, it was now half past the hour and Ponch could still go and lend a hand. However, if he went to the clinic and faced Parker once more, there would be more than hell to pay and so with Ellen's warning echoing in his ear, Ponch forced himself to stay away.

Heaving an angry sigh and continuing to dwell, he carried on to the kitchen and wound up staring out the window.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Hours later, Danny was impatiently pacing the beach parking lot and checking his watch. It was twelve-fifteen in the afternoon and Kono was never late, plus he'd been early. With an incredibly busy work week, they both had jumped at the opportunity for some well-deserved downtime no matter how brief it might be. After getting no response to a text message, he'd tried her cell phone but that had gone to voicemail immediately. So, the device was either oddly turned off or out of battery both of which things were strikingly out of character.

Sighing in annoyance and beating back the first small feelings of worry, he leaned up against the hood of the Camaro with his arms folded and frowned while watching every car turn into the lot. None of which were Kono's brightly colored red Chevy.

"Hey." He looked up as a large shape blocked the sun. Two other locals were in tow behind the man who confronted him. At first he was concerned about being singled out as the blonde Haole, but then he recognized the larger of three. "Are you looking for our Kono, brah?"

"I am." The Hawaiian was older and Danny remembered meeting him one or two other times during his lessons. They had ribbed him good-naturedly and without any kind of hostility. Wracking his brain, Danny smiled at him and then the two others. "Yeah, another round of torture with the ocean goddess, herself. But she's late .. and I'm honestly getting a bit worried about it."

Benj had to laugh at first, but was then serious. "She was here earlier in the morning, brah, to catch the best sets. But she took a tumble because some lolo dropped in on her wave. She went off to get fixed up. Nothing bad, but she needed to see a doc about a cut on her knee." Instantly concerned, Danny lost his smile when he heard the news.

"You're Benj ... right?" Danny asked. "I tried to call her and her phone is going directly to voicemail. Do you know where she went to get treated?"

"No. Wish I did, but we were setting that lolo straight for her." Benj shook his head and shrugged, now nearly as concerned as Danny. "Don't know. We were all taking care of the issue and she was fine, you know. It was no troubles and she took off alright around seven-thirty or so."

"Seven-thirty." Danny exclaimed in surprise. It was after Noon and hours had gone by at that point. The four looked at each other in concern, each knowing that Kono would never shirk a commitment.

"I'll call Chin and then the closest emergency rooms." Benj nodded too as he whipped out his own cell phone.

"Us too, brah. We'll put out some calls and compare notes." Staying near each other, but using their own individual resources and tactics, Danny and Benj made a flurry of unsatisfying calls that yielded no results.

"I got nothing." After exhausting all possibilities including contacting Chin, Danny called Steve, too. Waiting for his team-mates to arrive from different sides of the island, Danny was pacing worriedly now as Benj tried one more failed angle.

"Same." He replied unhappily. "Her cuz is here now though. Maybe he knows something."

The roar of Chin's motorcycle grew as he drove aggressively through traffic and then into the lot to park near Danny's Camaro.

"Danny, Benj." Chin greeted each as he yanked off his helmet. "I can't reach Kono. Tell me one of you know where she is." Full of a dark foreboding, Chin reported his lackluster news as he shut down his bike. He was mortified when Danny and Benj were still without information.

"I tried everyone I could think of on the way here. This isn't like her at all." Chin stressed. It left them only one option. Arriving at that conclusion precisely at the same time, Danny and Chin pulled out their smart phones again for the GPS application.

"She's not going to like this. Suppose something just came up and she's late? She'll kill us .. me especially for over-reacting." Trying to smile, Danny softly griped about what would happen if they were wrong, but Chin voiced what he really meant to say.

"I hope she kills us for this. Each one of us if we are taking it too far. But I have a bad feeling, Danny." Chin exclaimed as he worriedly pinged the GPS in her car and heaved a sigh of relief when he got a hit, but then didn't recognize the location. He was still making sure he was correct as Steve pulled up perpendicular behind Danny's car.

"Did you find her? What do you have?" By the looks of the small worried crowd, Steve knew they were all still at a dead-end. At least until Chin and Danny took a moment to share a look and mentally compare notes since they'd found a small  _something_.

"I got it, too. Same location.' Danny confirmed as the light blinked on his screen. "It doesn't make sense though."

Tapping his own phone, Chin had confirmed the address with Danny again seconding the information. Not only confusing, it was without reason, and all three were on the move as soon as Chin finished the last word.

"Her car is here at a large warehouse .. on some old wharf that used to be part of an old cannery."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Alan Parker orchestrated Kono's disappearance similarly to that of Jasper Mitchell, but with a few tiny modifications. First, he made a special phone call to summon two of his four usual assistants to the clinic. More than that would draw attention on a sunny Saturday morning. Then he removed the battery from her cell phone and disposed of the device in a medical waste box. He wasn't interested in her wallet and she certainly wouldn't need it ever again, so without looking through the compartments, that too was tossed into a medical waste container. Once sealed in that type of bin, chances were slim anyone would deign to look at the contents which where segregated for particular articles of dangerous waste.

He privately finished in the exam room by raising the sides of the exam table and wrapping Kono in two light sheets as if she were sleeping naturally. Dimming the lights, he left her there confident that she would remain undisturbed until he was ready to move her to the warehouse.

Secondly, and as calmly as possible because he was quite excited by now, he efficiently cleared the waiting room of the few remaining patients. Due to his lack of popularity and the concern for Doctor Jazz's unexplained absence, this second task was fairly easy. His last job was perhaps the most difficult as he approached the receptionist who was just ending a phone call.

"Mrs. Bishop." Nearly startling the older woman out of her seat, she jumped and almost dropped the receiver into the cradle. He grit his teeth at her obvious nervousness and then completely ignored her discomfort. "You can leave now. It's a slow morning and I'll close up."

It was eleven-fifteen and she frowned at the odd instructions. They never closed their doors early and she was very diligent about maintaining that policy. "But, we have forty-five minutes to go and suppose something happens or someone comes in with an emergency?"

Annoyed at being somewhat challenged, Alan continued to smile reassuringly though he was anxious and making detailed mental plans for his slumbering patient. "It's a beautiful day and not likely. I can handle anything should it come up."

"And .. well .. what about the young surfer? I didn't see her come out yet." She asked unexpectedly. Smiling more broadly, he explained that Ms. Kalakaua felt nauseous after the short procedure. To allay her fears, he even brought the receptionist over to see Kono curled up on the gurney under the light sheets. He spoke softly as if she were resting naturally and not so heavily medicated. His explanation was logical and Mrs. Bishop wound up accepting what he said.

"She took a hard tumble while surfing and bumped her head, too. She doesn't have a concussion, but I'll stay until she feels well enough to go home."

With that and though still a bit hesitant, Mrs. Bishop was gone and shortly afterwards two of Parker's men were strolling in calmly through the rear door. "Another one, Doc? It's a bit soon even for you." The driver remarked as he peered into the small exam room. Based on what he could see, the young Asian woman was exactly the type which Parker preferred.

"Don't tell me .. you couldn't pass up the opportunity .. again?"

He chuckled as if it were nothing when Alan smirked happily. "She's perfect and no. No, I most certainly could not pass her up."

"So, hey. When you two are done ... I like her car. I like it a lot." The younger of the two was fairly drooling over Kono's small red Cruze and Parker laughed as he graciously tossed him the keys.

"Fine. It's yours to keep as a bonus. Or, do what you want with it, but only after we handle our business for the day and we have a lot to do." Within thirty minutes of meeting at the clinic and locking the doors for the rest of the weekend, the three were at the warehouse as before; driving in and securing the large bulkhead doors against the blistering sun.

"How's our other guest doing?" Parker hadn't been there since dropping off Jasper Mitchell, leaving the ad hoc care up to his minions. Loathe for some reason to actually operate on or to go so far as to kill his peer outright, Parker had only demanded that Jazz be fed, watered and kept under lock until he decided what to do.

"He's non-communicative. I don't think he likes the solitary feel of his quarters." The driver announced as he came round the front of the doctor's SUV. The younger man was already jogging off to get a gurney to move Kono to the operating theater without having to be asked.

"Well, it can't be helped." Parker angrily stated. His own hesitancy on what to do about Mitchell irked him incessantly. "Is he eating?"

"Maybe. He might have stopped; it's like he's given up." The driver shrugged without really caring. "He gets bottled water and whatever food we bring him .. he had been drinking. Possibly not enough though. Does it matter?"

Making a face, the driver showed his distaste for the state of the small man-made cell. "It's not too clean in there and like I said ... he's not talking anymore. He just sits there and stares straight ahead. He's not exactly the life of the party."

Nearby, they heard the sounds of rubberized wheels rolling across the concrete warehouse floor. Parker had other and more important things to worry abut than the fate of one Jasper Mitchell. If he died by his own hands, then so much the better for Parker. It was an utterly illogical type of justification but it worked for Alan and he blithely accepted it.

With the driver's help, Alan moved Kono from the back of the SUV to the gurney. "So very lovely." Already forgetting about Jasper Mitchell, he breathed out happily at the luck he'd experienced that fine Saturday morning.

"She has so much to offer." The driver had known Parker for a long time and he simply rolled his eyes at the man's excitement. Over the years, the doctor had worsened in his habits and each act seemed to need a newer level of challenge to top the prior. Yet, the driver stayed on in a strange commitment to his long-time employer. Their younger friend had no stomach for it though and would leave the warehouse as soon as humanly possible to either spend his days' earnings or even dare to go for a joy-ride in his new car.

This woman wasn't on the roster and they might have buyers for each organ, but the driver also recognized a golden opportunity when he saw it regardless of his own gain. He knew that the doctor would need to make a series of phone calls to his best buyers to ensure what they had in their possession would be promptly accepted. As well as highly paid for. What wasn't claimed, Parker was happy enough to shelve as a souvenir of sorts. The driver recognized this as a new gory habit and still, chose to ignore it. His only concern was the increase in frequency and they would need to talk about that unnecessary risk.

"Where do you want her?" He asked as he tightened restraints around each wrist, ankle and Kono's waist.

"In the theater. Of course." Parker confirmed. "I'll keep her sedated and begin initial surgical preparation and then we can make necessary arrangements with our buyers. After, I can get right to work. I do hate to waste time."

Parker followed his two men as they wheeled the young woman to the room where he had shown Jazz the remains of Kylie Yuen. That particular young woman was now long gone and Parker had no idea precisely where; he allowed that same driver to make the various disposal arrangements. There was just so much he could do after all and the surgical arena was where he could flaunt his own expertise.

Thoughtfully, Parker studied Kono and then made a decision as he loosened the restraints. "Turn her please." With the driver's help, Parker rotated Kono on to her stomach and then readjusted the restraints once more. He would begin with her kidneys, move to her corneas, and end with heart and lungs so that life was not disrupted prematurely to damage the more priceless and sensitive organs.

Within minutes, he had Kono hooked up to two intravenous lines. One for basic fluids and one that dispensed a moderate anesthetic to keep her completely inured to what was about to happen.

None of it was done for her comfort but entirely to protect and keep healthy those organs he needed to so delicately harvest that day. With a pleased look, Alan couldn't stop grinning as he left the makeshift surgical room. "Alright. Let's see what we can do and then I'll get started."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The three convened together on the warehouse location based on the GPS signal emanating from Kono's car. Parking up top on a secondary road, they decided to approach on foot going 'cross-country' as Steve called it. By then, Steve was also blandly cataloging what Danny was wearing realizing it would have been funny at any other time. Then of course, there was the interesting half-secret of Danny meeting Kono for another surfing lesson.

Multi-tasking, Steve nearly smiled as he continued to check his own gear. Starting at Danny's feet, he was wearing worn sneakers and then white and dark green board shorts. His tac-vest was a completely out of place piece of wardrobe over a plain white -t shirt. With no place for his badge, Danny had the gold emblem tucked into a chest flap.

A subtle smile finally did cross Steve's lips as Danny pulled his weapon and in all seriousness, checked his clip and made sure he had at least two spare. The attire was mismatched but was testament to the haste and concern they each felt as they desperately tried to understand what had happened and why to Kono. Then the fact that Danny had planned to go surfing with their youngest friend still managed to tug at Steve's humor even more.

"Ready?" Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously and then paused to stare at Steve's peculiar smile. Far from comfortable in his skin, he had a strong inkling as to what was driving the amused look and pursed his lips in annoyance. "What? What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, Danno. We're ready." Shaking his head at the oddity of Steve's brief expression which was contrary to the serious nature of his tone, Danny slid down the short embankment from the road first followed by Steve with Chin just a bit off to to their left.

Steve had spoken specifically to Sergeant Duke Lukela to stress the need for a concise, concerted effort for back-up. They all had a very bad feeling with Doctor Dread foremost in their minds. Blaming it on the nature of their highest priority case, each was thinking but refused to say what lurked so closely to the surface as they approached the warehouse. It made no sense though. They couldn't figure out what Kono might have done or how she might have so accidentally crossed the path of this dangerous killer.

From the front, Chin carefully looked through the first window he had access to. He saw the flash of red and then adjusted his view enough to see his cousin's roof mounted surfboard.

"Visual confirmed on the car." He whispered to Steve and Danny. On the far side, Steve was doing the same and then quickly ducking back down with a short wave to Danny.

"I see him." Steve muttered. "One, and he's armed."

The younger man had his weapon resting on top of and angled lazily on the roof of Kono's car. But he was all over the inside of it while Doctor Parker began preparations for his gruesome task. At first repulsed by the concept of working in conjunction with the illegal organ trade, the subsequent wealth easily made up for the connection. Plus, he didn't have to do more than abduct the occasional lone or homeless person, or even drive a car if the occasion presented itself. After ten months, he'd gotten used to it now and even more accepting of his growing bank account.

His latest task was to keep an eye on the incarcerated doctor housed in the makeshift cell on the basement level. A once or twice a day visit to make sure the nearly unresponsive man had water and maybe a bit of food was an easy job. He didn't understand Doctor Parker's hesitation on what to do with their captive, but it wasn't his place to question and frankly, he didn't care. The only things he was required to do was provide water, food, lock the door and wait for further instructions. It was enough and now he had a bonus which totally captivated his attention.

He left the older and obviously more cold-hearted driver to the other tasks Parker required. He had been with Parker for a long time anyway and they seemed to have their own easy way of working together. The young man didn't know for how long, but they certainly knew each other well.

The driver was trusted to ready the medical coolers and even to scrub in to take and package the delicate organs. He would skillfully protect and box them, and then move each cooler to the large refrigeration units until the exchanges were made with any number of overseas buyers. In fact, the driver was with Parker now in the operating room while they readied the newest prize. At the end, he was solely responsible in making the remains disappear; a task he seemed to like being creative with.

But this time, the younger man had the best of both worlds as he caressed the door frame and slid behind into the driver's seat to comfortably fist the steering wheel. Parker's pretty red gift was a generous one and he couldn't be happier.

On the opposite side of the rambling main floor, Danny tested the handle on a small side door. Pleased to find it open, he whispered his success and waited for Steve to catch up. Easing in silently, they took up opposing sides while Chin murmured his similar accomplishment tangent to their location. Spread out, they began a methodical nearly cohesive sweep from left to right where the cars were parked.

"Wait. What is all this?" Danny whispered in confusion. The stacks of boxes nearest him were marked with medical insignias and cautionary warnings. Taking the time to read a delivery label, he muttered in surprise over the link.

"Medical Mission Free Clinic. It's the address to the clinic and in Parker's name." He hushed the information over the comm link for Steve and Chin, and the three considered the find.

"Ponch was right, then. This could be Parker's stash or some other volunteer or employee's theft and they house it all here before it hits the streets." Steve voiced softly. Moving around a corner he surveyed the other side of the large main warehouse floor. He was opposite from where Kono's car was parked but another vehicle was now in view.

"It's Mitchell's Jeep Cherokee." He stopped in his tracks as an odd thought crossed his mind. They had checked all the hospitals and come up empty on finding Kono. She was not at her home and no one had seen her. They had done everything except check the lowly clinic which was feasibly in a close proximity to the beach where Kono had been surfing.

"Stop." The sudden insight had Steve making an odd demand. "Fall back. Chin, come to us."

"What? What's wrong?" Danny hissed in confusion, already reacting to the demand to retreat back to where he and Steve had first entered the warehouse.

Once the three were side by side and near the door, Steve explained his concerns and then hastily contacted Sergeant Duke Lukela who was en route to the warehouse. Demanding that at last two HPD officers visit the clinic, he explained his reasoning to both Chin and Danny.

"Mitchell's Jeep is here. I guarantee that Kono went to the clinic to get checked out." Steve was positive now as Chin also warmed to the idea. "She would have wanted to get checked out by Ponch if he were there. It was an excuse to visit him, see the clinic first-hand, and talk about Jasper Mitchell."

"You're right." Danny finished the statement in complete agreement. Kono and Chin were the only two that had not actually gotten directly involved visiting the clinic or conducting interviews. "She wanted to see the place for herself. She didn't meet Alan Parker yet and was still actively investigating him. Makes complete sense."

The troubled sound from Chin proved he was like-minded about that point. His cousin had walked in on something related to the drug thefts and unprepared, had been abducted. Ponch's suspicions about the goings on at the clinic were correct and now they had a hostage situation to contend with.

"Mitchell, too." It brought them full circle about Doctor Jasper Mitchell's disappearance and Chin blew out a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. "Now Kono was taken there. She must have walked in on this drug activity and got in over her head, much the same as Mitchell."

The doctor had been missing for nearly four full days by that time and Steve inwardly flinched. They needed to act quickly and manage their approach the right way since they didn't know who or how many perpetrators they were dealing with.

"Assume two hostages. HPD is five minutes out and I don't want to wait. So, we go in again and even more methodically. Clear this place carefully, room by room and inch by inch. Get a headcount on what we're up against and more intel. Keep an eye out for Mitchell because with any luck, he's still alive and here too."

Orchestrating a neat plan, the three re-entered the warehouse with a much different focus and intensity. Chin's first conquest would be the man inside his cousin's red car. Danny would be near and clearing rooms along his left to offer support while Steve edged in along the right-hand wall.

"Nice car, isn't it. But you seem more like a Jeep-man to me. Or maybe you're still undecided?" Chin drawled nastily as the kid in front of him froze with his hands still hugging the steering wheel. A gun was firmly pressed into the side of his head and he was suddenly barely breathing as the smile melted from his face. Reaching up, Chin easily pocketed the weapon carelessly left on the roof.

"Perfect position, too. Keep it and don't move a muscle or you will regret more than what you've already done." Using the same steering wheel for security, the cuffs were on the young man before he could think.

"How many are here? Where's the girl?"

"Two including Parker. That other doctor is locked up downstairs." The kid was no hero and stunned into responding quickly with perhaps more information than Doctor Parker would have approved of. He blurted a shocking amount of detail with his own assumption that the authorities had discovered the elaborate organ trade and not merely a drug ring.

"He's operating on her now. But I don't have anything to do with that .. that's Parker's gig." The kid was babbling and at first, Chin let him until the words sunk in. "He's got some buyers at the last minute, but .." He yelped as the gun gouged his flesh and Chin interrupted his frightened squalling.

"Parker's here? Operating?" Feeling sucker-punched, Chin pressed the muzzle of his weapon threateningly into the kid's temple. "Explain that for me. In complete detail and don't leave a single thing out."

Cuffed to the car, the kid was clenching the steering wheel in a whole new way. Afraid to move, he tried to offer something about their captives that might calm the cop but he only made it worse. "Parker didn't touch that other doctor at least not yet. He's alive and okay. But .. but, well he liked the girl an awful lot. And he's operating on her now .. he, uh .. he just started a few minutes ago. I've just been hanging out here by the car."

"Operating. Steve, this is bad." Chin breathed out into the comm link. "Steve, Parker's here and he's Dread. He's got Mitchell locked up somewhere but Kono, too… and he's going to cut her. He's doing it now!"

The dual sets of cursing supported the sense of urgency which suddenly escalated amongst all of them. " _Where are they, Chin? This place is huge."_ Steve demanded as he eyed a series of doors along his side of the warehouse. Two were obviously commercial refrigeration units and one was a freezer but he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

"Where. Where are they?" The sharp blow of metal to skin caught the kid unaware and he gasped as stars brightened and then filled his vision. He felt the slow drip of blood as his cheek opened under the hard smack but wisely didn't complain. Completely in over his head, he babbled and tried to point with cuffed hands towards the opposite corner of the warehouse.

"Far side. Third .. third door. Operating .. room. They're both in there." For due measure, Chin lobbed another stressed blow into the kid's head as he relayed the information about the two other men to his team-mates. He jogged away without looking back as the kid sagged dazedly in the seat.

"Both of you get over here." It was a senseless order for they were all on their way now. Steve counted quickly, using his hands to test doors, and then his hearing to catch the stray sounds and soft conversational murmurs. Danny was in sight and coming quickly when Steve slammed the chosen door wide open.

The concept of the operating room was amazingly complete down to the gurneys, oxygen tanks, intravenous poles, and the neatly arranged trays of surgical implements and other medical supplies. Large plastic-covered commercial lights circled the operating table where Kono lay rocked onto her left side. A large soft wedge behind the small of her back kept her propped in just the right position. Her ankles were neatly restrained together for no apparent reason as was one wrist. That same arm had two intravenous lines hooked into the crook of her elbow tracing up to an IV pole with two different bags of fluids were hung.

Another sheet covered her from her lower waist and down, showing her bare torso which was smeared with red which Steve at first mis-took for blood. He thought he was too late until he realized that the masked Doctor Parker had a pair of large forceps in his hand. The forceps were closed tightly around a sizable piece of betadine-soaked gauze which the doctor was using to disinfect his surgical area.

"What the hell!" Steve was mortified as he quickly took in the obscene layout and Kono's exposed back. "Put it down and keep your hands where I can see them. Get away from her!"

A second man was nearby with one medical cooler at the ready. Two others were stacked at his feet. Also wearing a surgical mask, he was just in the shadows and outside the supposed floor of the operating window. Standing off to the side, he reacted almost immediately to the intrusion by flinging a tray of supplies directly into Steve's face as he made his demands. As Steve ducked, he followed through by heaving the cooler hard into the side of his head.

"Your .. way!" Steve shouted out to both his team-mates as the heavy container nearly knocked him off his feet. Momentarily blinded and driven off balance, Steve lost sight of Parker and then missed his hold on the second man as he bolted from the room. He recovered quickly to keep his weapon aimed directly at Parker's chest and then after hearing the furious shouts from outside, trusted that Danny or Chin would be there to corral the dangerous second.

"Do what I said. Back away and keep your hands where I can see them." Steve dashed a stray pained tear from his eye where the cooler had grazed his temple and cheekbone. He growled his demands and then cautiously approached Doctor Alan Parker who had yet to move. In fact, Steve thought the crazed man might be cheerfully smiling behind his mask.

Sensing movement behind him, Chin was soon at his shoulder with a stunned gasp. "Kono." The shock in his voice deepened Parker's smile as he watched the two officers' frightened reactions. "Is she alright?"

"She's perfect. Lovely." Almost dreamily, Parker shrugged and allowed the forceps to fall with a loud clatter. He stared at Kono's face and felt a loss for himself because he was going to lose his chance on this one. "Such lovely eyes." He said remorsefully as Steve virtually pounced on him in a fury.

Unable to help himself, Steve wrapped his fingers around the doctor's throat while ripping off the mask. Pushing backwards, he lifted up at the same time, pleased when Parker gave out with a small choked sound. "If she's hurt in any way, you won't make it out of this room alive."

"Kono?" Chin didn't know where to begin as he looked for a wound or dire injury. Shaky fingers removed the restraints on her ankles and then the one on her wrist. He was as relieved as Steve to find only the disinfectant solution and no signs of any surgical cuts. But his cousin didn't move and they had the two intravenous lines yet to contend with.

"What did you do to her?" Glancing once over his shoulder at Chin's obvious distress, Steve throttled the doctor off the ground for a second time. "What have you done? What did you give her?"

Instead of an answer, Parker began a garbled laugh through the tightening hold. Giggle actually as his face reddened from lack of oxygen, and then he gasped as his knees buckled in Steve's grasp. "What did you do, Parker?"

"Steve, I don't know what to make of this. I'm not sure what to do." Chin was beside himself as he confirmed the lack of blood, but Kono refused to awaken.

Physically sweeping the doctor off his feet, Steve plunged him into the concrete floor securing both ankles and wrists as tightly as possible. "Don't you forget what I said. It's a promise." Steve harshly warned the man. They weren't going to get anything from the lunatic though, and he joined Chin in his worried examination.

"She's breathing easy enough but she won't wake up." Chin confirmed distractedly, making sure over and over again that Kono's skin was untouched. But they were both afraid to remove the intravenous lines or even dare to move Kono from where she lay on her side without a professional's opinion.

 _"Hey. I need some help here."_ Their comm links crackled to life with Danny's rushed voice. They hadn't forgotten their team-mate, but the shock of finding Kono nearly mutilated briefly distracted them.  _"Need .. some help .. I lost sight of our third but I found Mitchell!"_

Strangely, Chin volunteered to help Danny with a hated glance at Doctor Parker. "I'm going." Loathe to leave his cousin, his emotions were much too high as the man continued to laugh and giggle like a loon on the floor. Not trusting himself to be alone with him, Chin needed to move and do something constructive as his fists tightened in a continued rage.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, though his friend was already nodding and moving quickly out the door.

"One minute, Danny. On my way" Chin communicated that loudly over his link and even more to Steve through one final glance who agreed with a grim smile. HPD was only a few minutes out now and with his own dislike aimed at the trussed doctor, he too understood the reason.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny edged down the staircase slowly, it was a short flight which led to a deep, dark storage basement that he wasn't particularly impressed with and more than half the reason he was being so cautious. He hoped his subject would miraculously appear before he got too far with every intention of surrendering. It wasn't going to happen and unfortunately, he was positive that the driver had come down this way. With a glance into the insanity called an operating room, he was determined to follow this last man for Kono's sake. He also knew that Chin or Steve would be just a few paces behind and that knowledge bolstered him as he moved forward.

"Five-0! Come out with your hands where I can see them!" He heard nothing though as water dripped in the distance and some mice or rats squeaked even farther away. It was then that the first locked door drew his attention and only because a distinctly out-of-place case of bottled water lay open in front of it. Very close to the landing, the door was a heavy metal as was most of the entire building. It was bolted heavily from the outside with no additional lock.

Keeping an eye down into the darkness, Danny tugged and yanked on each of the two large, rusty bolts until they slid free with a bang and he managed to get the door open. It took a minute for his eyes to grow accustomed and he choked first on the malodor and thick heavy air which reeked from filth and old food.

Covering his nose and mouth with the crook of his arm, Danny carefully inched in to stare at the rumpled shape in the corner. There was a slight movement and Danny's face fell worriedly when he saw the shape morph into a the outline of a man. He was sure that he knew who it was.

"Jasper. Jasper Mitchell?" However, the shape seemed to shrink down more instead of welcome him, and Danny tried to bend in closer for a better look.

Jasper had heard the jagged sharpness of the bolts being slid from left to right. It was the only sound he could really count on hearing on a daily basis. Always once, sometimes twice and he both looked forward to and dreaded it. Since the younger one had already rolled a bottle of water his way not so long ago, Jasper was truly frightened this time. He knew that Alan would grow tired of having him around; tired of having to remember that he still had a captive who knew everything. In addition to that knowledge, as Alan had first threatened, Jasper himself provided him with so many other golden opportunities.

So now when the bolts slid much too soon - and he could tell only because he hadn't yet opened his latest water bottle - Jasper was truly petrified. Wedging his body in a corner, he had his legs drawn up to his chest and he was trembling slightly from a deep chill. That only increased when he felt the dim light from the corridor streak towards him in a wide V.

As he began to tremble more, Jasper ignored the man as he ground his forehead into the concrete of the corner and focused hard on the way the surface rubbed against his skin. He was probably bruising himself, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't have long to live now anyway.

"Hey!" Danny tried again softly. "Doctor Mitchell?"

Jasper took a few minutes then to think. He blinked wildly and forced his head to turn closing his eyes against the continued light. He didn't recognize the voice and no one had spoken to him really except for Alan on the first day. For a long moment, he wasn't even sure he had heard correctly.

Danny called out once more and with a bit more enthusiasm when a recognizable head slowly bobbed upwards to stare back. "Doctor Jasper Mitchell?"

Taking one last chance at the shadow of a man who was most unfamiliar, Jasper flapped his mouth before managing to get a sound out. It held a shred of hope but was steeped in a great deal of desperation.

"Yeah? Yeah .. it is." The voice was roughened and extremely weak. The missing doctor was alive and Danny grinned happily despite the strong sour smells hitting his nose.

"Five-0. Doc Ramirez says you're late for work, so he borrowed your dog and sent us to bring you home." The stunned snort was delayed followed by a hacked cough which was muffled by hands that were obviously tied together tightly.

The sad sound and action sobered Danny instantly as he kept his weapon at the ready and waffled for a moment between the doorway and being able to reach the downed man. The stairwell was bad and the dark corridor worse. This small concrete room was going to be nearly impossible. Literally with one hand on the door and the other out-stretched towards Mitchell, Danny reached out, falling woefully short. Besides, the young doctor wasn't even making an attempt to get up.

"Hey. I need some help here." Using his comm link, he quickly updated Steve and Chin, then demanded one of them to his location immediately. "Need .. some help .. I lost sight of our third but I found Mitchell!"

Only Chin's confirmation on his existing movement made Danny act more quickly.  _"One minute, Danny. On my way."_

"Uh .. how fast can you do this?" Without waiting for an answer, Danny set his jaw to beat down his old demons and then lunged forward to grab the doctor under his arms. He then urged Mitchell on as he virtually hauled him to his feet and back out to briefly rest against the door jam. With visions of the door eerily slamming shut on them, Danny's own heart hammered until he got them both completely out by sheer willpower.

Once to the base of the staircase, he propped Jasper against the railing with a circumspect eye behind him still towards the bowels of the lower level. The young man was heaving and retching from the sudden exertion. His bound hands were held against his chest and his eye were tightly closed from any glimmer of light, no matter how small.

"You need a shower and a good hot meal, Doc." Danny sympathized with the man as he trembled and sagged weakly in his hands. Hardly able to stand, Mitchell couldn't even find his voice to speak. So though the staircase was short, it was undeniable going to be a big obstacle. Danny would need help to get him up and he waited the few minutes it would take for Chin to arrive.

"Seriously, it's good to see you and we know everything. You're going home." Grimacing at the red, swollen wrists and puffy fingers, Danny glanced briefly to the top of the stairs. He didn't have a knife in his board shorts and would need help as the man swayed. Danny was about to call for Chin when the man's voice echoed through his headset.

 _"Right here, Danny!"_ He heard the steps coming and sighed in relief before addressing Mitchell again. Sirens were closer too as HPD arrived at the rambling warehouse.

"There's another officer here to help get you up these stairs, then we can get these ties off. Have you been down here the entire time?"

"Parker." Jasper rasped out the word as he nodded with tears beginning to stream down his face in both relief and due to the first real light he'd been exposed to in days.

"Yeah, Doc, we know." Forcing his eyes to slits, he hazily looked at Danny.

"How?" Jasper was still shocked to find himself outside his man-made cell and nearly afraid to believe it was true. Barely standing but being strongly propped up, the man in front of him was wearing a police issue tac-vest with a very official gold badge thrust into his top left breast pocket. He boasted a high-tech communications device in one ear and was smiling happily at Jasper's face as if he's personally won something special. As he tried to breathe easier, Jasper didn't have the strength to wonder about the tennis sneakers or what looked like board shorts. Frankly, that part didn't matter.

"But .. how?" He asked again. Before Danny could answer, a shape loomed up behind his latest protector. Jasper flinched at the same time Danny fisted his weapon firmly.

"Hey!" Jasper gasped in stunned fear when he recognized the driver. It was an additional warning for Danny, but not provided fast enough for him to properly react. As he tried to shield Mitchell with his own body and shout into his comm link, Danny saw the downward motion and instinctively raised his right arm. As he turned, the scalpel caught him first in the back of his thick vest. It harmlessly deflected when Danny turned to bury his fisted gun firmly into the driver's face. The man was cold-cocked backwards, stumbling almost to his knees before he recovered to dive at Danny once more.

"Chin!" Danny bellowed as echoes of running footsteps reached the top of the metal stairwell. With the doctor now sprawled on the floor behind him, Danny tried to turn his gun directly on his attacker, but the quarters were close and the man too fast. With hardly a pause, the driver was on him for a second time and Danny was pushed backwards into the railing where the hard metal dug into his back. This time he felt the blade from the scalpel bite into his right forearm and slash downwards towards his wrist. Feeling nothing except a dull tingle, Danny dropped his gun when his fingers went briefly numb. It clattered uselessly to the cement floor, discharging loudly in the small space.

Kicking out, he caught the driver in the knees as his stray bullet settled somewhere in the distant basement. On its heels though was another loud boom to briefly deafen Danny from over his head. Clipped in the shoulder, the flesh wound only briefly slowed the driver as he continued to scrabble for Danny's neck with the surgical blade.

"Danny!" Chin was on top of them now. Pounding down the top half of the metal staircase, the angle was wrong and he couldn't get off another clean shot. Above his friend, Chin could see the ongoing struggle but without a clear view of the attacker, he was afraid to take another chance.

Grappling for the detective's throat with every intent of using the scalpel one last time, the driver was close to over-powering Danny who was now hindered by the pain trickling through to end in numbed finger-tips. Changing tactics, the driver squeezed the deep slice with strong fingers nearly crippling Danny with the surge of agony he hadn't felt before with the first slicing cut.

"Chin. Now!" Danny gasped at the man's strong persistence as he lost traction.

Ducking low, he allowed himself the rough slide down the metal he'd been pushed up against. Pulling the driver forward into the stairwell and the beam of light from above, Danny hoped it would give Chin the window he needed. "Do it now!"

Forcing his right hand to fist, Danny hammered once at the exposed head just as a second shot literally blew his attacker away. Completely released and stunned by the force of the surprise attack, Danny sat hard and bumped down two extra steps before crumpling into a seated position on the bottom landing. He was breathing hard as he buried the fingers of his left hand into the now very painful, bloody wound.

"Good riddance." Danny coughed out in relief. Laying in front of him by the force of Chin's weapon, he knew the man was dead before he hit the concrete.

"Danny! Are you alright?" Chin shouted, already stomping the rest of the way down the staircase. He cursed when he saw the blood and Danny's rather stunned expression. Through their radios, they heard Steve demanding a status based on the sounds of the distant fray.

"Clear now, Steve. All clear." Breathing hard through his nose to combat the pain, Danny reported their status firmly as Chin tried to peel his fingers from his bloody arm. "He's down. We're good."

"Let me see." Chin demanded as Danny pushed him towards Mitchell instead. He and the doctor much preferred being out of the dank basement level. "Danny, let me see it."

"Up top. Check on Mitchell and let's get him out of here." Shrugging his friend off, Danny's teeth were tightly clenched as he fisted the blood which was swarming through his fingers. Weakly lying on his side, Jazz had his eyes partly opened as the violence began and ended within seconds.

"Come on, Doc. Let's get out of here." He jolted when a new pair of hands grabbed his forearms to bring him up into a slouched seated position. "Can you walk?" The Asian officer gave him a little shake to rouse him from his shock and Jazz slowly nodded but didn't make a single attempt to rise.

"Mitchell?" His first rescuer stood now behind the Asian holding a bloody arm and the driver lay dead in a heap behind them. For a moment, Jazz couldn't take his eyes off the body, though he had seen many as a physician.

"Doctor Mitchell. Let's go." In a daze, Jazz looked up at Danny bleakly and finally, with Chin's assistance forced his legs under him.

"Hold on, Doc. We can get these off you." Noticing that his hands were still tied, filthy and shaking, Chin leaned down first to retrieve the scalpel used on Danny. In one motion, he cut the ties from Jazz's wrists and then had to hold the doctor up again as the pain shot clear through to his elbows. Hissing through the ache, Jazz stopped near Danny first and then stilled his swollen fingers long enough to skirt the deep narrow wound efficiently. His mouth was dry and refusing to work properly. What he was thinking was slow to be verbalized and then he had to focus hard on breathing it out.

"Deep. Need .. supplies. Stop the .. bleeding." It was worse near the man's wrist and Jazz had to blink several times to be sure. "It's .. very ... deep." Remembering the boxes of medical supplies from the clinic, he tiredly leaned his head on the railing near Danny's shoulder. It was too many words and he couldn't get his tongue to work in his much too dry mouth.

"It's just a scratch, Doc. We'll look at it up top." Glancing at Chin who had one side of the weakened doctor, Danny released his bleeding arm long enough to also grab Jasper under the arm. He was determined to go upstairs. With a final glance down the dismal hallway and the treacherous storage room, it was time to leave.

"Let's go." Danny stressed. Besides, everything plus everyone they needed was on the main floor of the warehouse.

"Now. Let's get out of here. Please." He missed or ignored Chin's disbelieving glare because he only wanted to get upstairs for a good many reasons. It was a sentiment that Jazz wholeheartedly agreed with as he doggedly tried to put one foot on the first step and needed both men's help the rest of the way. Once in the main warehouse, both Danny and Jasper sank down to the floor side by side. Danny's confusion about the way he was suddenly feeling quite evident as he cradled his arm and complained at the volume of blood oozing from what appeared to be a very narrow wound. The addled doctor couldn't possible be correct because Danny was sure that he'd only sustained a bit of a scratch.

"What the hell." He muttered as the blood continually pooled through his fingers. He was beginning to feel tired and woozy even though he fully believed the wound wasn't so bad. "It's just a scratch."

"Supplies. Over there .. it's deep." Jazz whispered and pointed towards one clearly marked clinic box. Chin was quickly off and ripping it open to get to its contents. "Need that one."

"How's Kono?" Danny asked as Chin sifted through the box to bring back gauze and bandages. Before answering, he took the time necessary to firmly wrap Danny's arm round and round under Jasper's muttered instructions to tightly tie off the dangerous slice nearest Danny's wrist. In the background, sirens and loud voices were now over-running the warehouse as HPD brought up their rear and entered the building in force.

"I think she's okay." Chin's face was lined with worry as he worked quickly to try and stem the flow of blood from Danny's arm. "Steve stopped Parker in time. She's got some sort of intravenous lines going in and we're afraid to take them out. We can't wake her up."

"Damn it." Danny was clearly upset as he waited for Chin to finish the fast triage. The dark worried look wasn't lost on him as he listened to the sirens coming closer. "We need that ambulance here now."

"Another? Alan got another?" His brain was admittedly slow, but Jasper was keeping up with the chatter. He was shocked to hear that Parker had another patient in the warehouse and he began to tremble even more. The ambulance would take time and he needed to help.

"Take me." He raised his arm to Chin in askance, and Chin realizing that he had a doctor at their disposal, quickly agreed.

"Danny?" The detective was also clambering to his feet using the wall as a prop and he gestured tiredly towards the operating room.

"I"m coming. Go with Mitchell .. get him there and let him check Kono out. He needs to."

"Maybe you should stay here, Danny." Chin advised as he propped his friend against the wall quickly when he stumbled. He had his hands full with the two men and Danny could only offer him a smirk. HPD was now on site and he could see Duke coordinating men as they peered queerly at the young man still cuffed inside Kono's own car.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch and HPD is here. Go. Doc Mitchell needs to see Kono." Danny balanced himself against the wall and closed his eyes to rest. Steve was yammering in his headset about their delay and he tiredly answered that the situation was under control and that everyone was okay.

"Yes. I know we're taking a long time. We had to help Mitchell up from below." Under other conditions, the aggrieved conversation would have been amusing. Chin however was barely able to smile just yet as he got Mitchell moving in the right direction.

"Yes, Steve. We're all coming your way now. HPD is sweeping the building from top to bottom." A pause and then Danny chuffed a light laugh when Steve inquired about the gunman and then the young doctor.

"The second gunman is dead. We left him down below. Yes .. yes, Mitchell's a bit worse for wear, but alive." Danny continued to follow behind Chin and the ailing doctor slowly, taking his time and stopping often to catch his breath.

"Mitchell was locked up here the entire time. He's on his way to check on you … and Kono." It was an effort for Danny to speak. He was doing it on purpose since he needed the focus to keep his feet moving rhythmically along. He also hadn't missed the way Chin was continually looking over his shoulder to ensure he was following.

"Bright." Mitchell suddenly gasped as he closed his eyes and tears traced his cheeks, blindly trusting the officer to walk him safely out of his dark dungeon and across the warehouse floor. Continuing to try, Jazz blinked through wetness to finally get a hazy view of the main warehouse. He was surprised and even reassured to see his Jeep parked off to the side as they made their way to the frightening door.

"Almost there, Doc." Chin encouraged him gently. From his tone, it was obvious that he was anxious for Alan's latest victim to be seen, even if the doctor in question was ill himself.

"Yeah." The murmur was fearful as he, too, kept moving. The sight of Honolulu police giving him a bit more courage. "Let me see her. I need to see her."

Chin was literally holding Jazz up with an arm draped over his shoulders and another his waist. He was trembling badly and cold to the touch from either the damp concrete cell or shock, or likely even both. Walking from the storage room to Parker's makeshift operating theater was a task only made possible by the officer's firm insistence.

"Are you alright?" Chin asked as he felt the hesitation building.

Jazz was afraid. Very afraid of what he might find even though the officer insisted Parker's latest patient was still alive and breathing. Rather than answering, Jazz made his feet walk forward step by excruciating step to enter the converted room now operating theater. He stopped dead when he saw Parker tied and restrained on the floor, unsure finally of moving forward.

"I need help with him. Then we have to go back for Danny; he fell back." Chin stated as Jazz wobbled in front of Steve, breathing harshly through his nose, and caked with days-worth of filth and sweat. The doctor was exhausted, shell-shocked from his captivity but happily quite alive. Yet Steve frowned at what Chin had just said.

"Danny? What do you mean?" He missed Steve's worried look about his own partner and then the short explanation about the thin, deep wound.

"He keeps calling it a scratch. Mitchell here said it was deep before I dressed it. I think he's okay, but he needs a hand and then a trip to the hospital." The officers were ignoring Parker and their conversation helped Jazz to tamp down the fear. Determinedly, he turned a deaf ear to the occasional spat of giggles issuing from the floor.

Working hard to focus, Jazz missed the praise and the thankful expressions. Intent only on staying conscious, he first visually examined the young woman on the gurney and then wanted to see more.

"Let me .. see .. her. Closer." Jazz whispered again as Steve walked around the gurney quickly to take up his other side as his legs almost buckled.

"Chin?" Steve asked when he saw the distressing state of the young physician.

"I'm okay. Need to see her." Jasper said breathlessly as he bent over Kono to check her vital signs and then read the writing on the bags of fluids before disengaging each of them. He could do that much; he needed to do that much, even if just for himself. To prove that at least one of Parker's patients was indeed very much alive.

"Plain .. fluids." He pointed to one and then blinked rapidly as a dark shadow dropped over his vision. Jazz could offer a prognosis on himself by then. He simply refused to acknowledge the stress and shock which was soon to win out. Swaying dangerously, he heard the concerned murmurs. He concentrated on the two sets of strong hands which held him upright because he needed to make sure this girl was alright.

"Sedative." Jazz forced his mouth to work as his vision briefly cleared because the girl was fine. "She's sleeping."

The anxious Asian officer was in his face demanding to know more and Jazz nodded with a weak, passing smile. It felt as if his thick fingers were not his own, but he carefully removed the intravenous lines and then the ports in her arm. Amazed when the dark-haired man was there with the right bandage to cover the small puncture wounds.

"Yes. She's .. okay .. sleeping." He lost it then and nothing mattered as the world tilted suddenly and only Steve and Chin prevented the young doctor's utter collapse to the hard floor. Moving him well away from the downed Doctor Parker, they positioned Jazz as comfortably as possible on a spare gurney that was off to the side. After that, Chin stayed with him and his cousin, wrapping both of them in blankets, and then elevating Jasper's legs as he quaked uncontrollably.

"Danny? We need to talk." Growling at his partner over the comm link in annoyance for not telling him he'd been injured, Steve started to leave on a run to be with Danny only to virtually careen into him in the doorway. Relieved then because Duke was there too with a firm hand under Danny's good elbow.

"He wants to talk." Eyes now unfocused, Danny was oddly giddy as he senselessly explained what Steve said to Duke. "About my scratch."

"That is not a scratch, buddy." The stern reprimand was voiced as Steve steadied him with Duke's help when he rocked in place still cradling his arm to his chest. Though pale, Danny still had a smirk etched across his face.

"It is. It's a scratch." Danny insisted as Steve frowned at the deep pink color staining the thick bandage. "Hey, what happened to your face?"

Steve absently touched the bruise by his temple where the cooler had connected. "It's nothing. It's fine."

The smug smile only deepened as Danny rolled his eyes dramatically from Steve to Duke only to lose his balance. "It's nothing he says." Danny chuckled and held up his arm as a comparison making Duke grin despite what was going on. "And now he wants to talk."

"Sit down, Danny." Duke frowned as his guiding hands were refused and Danny insisted upon standing.

"Uh huh. This is nothing, too. This my friends ..  _this_  is only a scratch." He was annoyed however when Duke chimed in to agree with Chin, their ill doctor and Steve.

"No, Danny, it's not and maybe you should sit down." Duke advised at the same time Steve made a face before offering advice of his own.

"Yeah, well. Let's just see what the EMT's and then E.R. have to say about this arm of yours." Steve retorted with a temper as he rummaged through boxes for more gauze. While Steve searched for supplies, Duke finally helped lower Danny into a seated position as he suddenly wobbled and then paled even more.

"We have two ambulances coming. I'll get a third out here in case we need help in transport." Duke confirmed as Steve tightly wrapped gauze on top of gauze and Danny hissed through a spike in the pain.

"Scratch." Danny repeated tiredly while watching his arm disappear under a mountain of gauze yet blood continued to seep through. When it had first happened, he'd barely felt a thing. The blood had even been delayed in streaking down his arm until the driver had so fiercely grasped it. Such a narrow, tiny cut had no business being so persistently annoying.

"I know." Almost distractedly, Steve softly agreed if only to shut his partner up as he used his hands as a tourniquet over the top of the newer bandages. But he was growing more distressed as they too, pinked.

"Kono? She's okay?" Danny asked before Duke could do the same in order to make sure he had heard the tail-end of Mitchell's words correctly. "Sleeping? Really?"

Both men were relieved when Steve nodded more easily. "Mitchell said she was only sedated. Parker never touched her .. she's not hurt, just sleeping it off."

"Good. That's good." Danny leaned his head back against the wall and tiredly closed his eyes. He was worn-out, more dizzy and it was finally over. Even though his arm was now throbbing in time to his heartbeat, everything was made better because both Kono and Doctor Mitchell were alive. He lost his smirk and ability to smile though as a feeling of nausea seemed to tighten his stomach.

"Umm." He winced and swallowed hard to push the feeling away. Next to him, Danny felt Steve shift on his knees and the grip tightened over the wound in his arm and he grimaced uncomfortably.

"Danno? What's wrong?" Alarmed by the sudden silence and ashen complexion, Steve glanced down at the still bleeding wound. His distress grew when Danny didn't open his eyes to slur out a mumbled reply.

"A little .. dizzy. Feel sick." With his eyes closed and white noise becoming louder, Danny didn't see Steve's pensive expression. He could feel it though as he continued to insist that he was fine. "Just a scratch."

Using the smooth concrete wall to anchor his body which seemed to be listing crazily to one side, Danny didn't know when Duke left to escort the teams of paramedics to the rear room. He didn't hear the demands for a third ambulance or see Kono still on the operating table with another gurney next to her. Between which, Chin was standing guard for her and Jasper Mitchell who was wrapped in a sheet but trembling badly. He never saw four HPD officers literally carry Doctor Alan Parker suspended between them to a waiting patrol car.

"Barely there." Danny slurred softly.

"Sure, Danno. Okay." Equally quiet, Steve stayed on his knees holding up Danny's arm as the EMT's gathered around them. Danny only knew that Steve didn't object to what he said this time as a cold sweat beaded his forehead. He could only feel an unrelenting pressure painfully encircle the deepest section of the wound made by the sharp scalpel. Half-conscious, Danny would have been surprised to learn that he had been rushed into the first ambulance in lieu of anyone else.

Vaguely listening, Chin registered the soft conversations taking place behind him knowing that the right people were taking charge. Tucking another blanket around Jasper Mitchell's shoulders, Chin gave way for the paramedics. He then leaned over to give Kono a kiss on her forehead before needing to back away entirely. His worst thoughts finally fled him completely as the paramedics seconded Doctor Mitchell's first assessment.

The pleased smile on one paramedic's face allowed a rush of air to leave Chin's lungs. "She's just sleeping, sir. Her vitals are all normal."

"That was a close call, cousin." Whispering just over her head, Chin's eyes welled with relieved tears as Kono's lips twitched unconsciously. He still couldn't smile though even when she murmured something about stupid lolo surfers under her breath.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a firm grip of writer's license by having General in the hospital. It is also a method to compound Ponch's overall and over-bearing personality type when he sometimes does whatever he wants to do. :-)

**Chapter 13**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Where is he?" Ponch strode purposefully through the familiar halls of Tripler Army Medical Center and directly into the midst of the large emergency room. With three arriving ambulances, two of which included the Governor's finest, the organized chaos was understandable. Passing employees and HPD alike, Ponch hurriedly wended his way through and towards the triage rooms looking from left to right. Two people backed away when they saw not only his unstoppable level of agitation, but the impressive dog at his side.

"Jasper Mitchell. Where is he?" Out of habit and regardless that the big doctor hadn't actually been there in months, a male nurse pointed to an exam room. Looking queerly at what Ponch had in his hand, he bit back what he wanted to say as the big doctor silently seemed to dare anyone to prevent what was about to happen.

"He arrived about twenty minutes ago and they're having trouble with him. Room two." Having never actually stopped, Ponch continued moving though with General at the heel and happily trotting along. Oblivious to the stunned whispers and questions, he was quite willing to follow the doctor into a place that reeked exactly of the smells which lived on his Jasper. The dog was easily picking up on the doctor's anticipation too and so, he stuck close not wanting to miss whatever it was that was going on.

In exam room two, Ellen Ramirez was with the young doctor who was determinedly sitting on the edge of the gurney and trying to inconceivably leave. It was she who had taken a few seconds to call her husband seconds before Mitchell was brought in with Kono and just a few minutes after Danny. She was glad that she'd taken the time and hoped her husband could calm the overly distraught young man.

At the time, she hadn't known more than that the abducted doctor had been located and two Five-0 officers compromised. Danny had arrived first and he'd been rapidly moved to surgery to close suspected injuries to a major artery in his arm. An injury stunningly sustained by a surgical scalpel. Pale and barely semi-conscious, Ellen wasn't sure if he knew where he was and he'd likely wind up in intensive care to recover. Somewhere on the surgical floor, Steve now lurked worriedly. She also knew that Kono was fine and had already been admitted to sleep off the affects of a strong sedative. She would suffer no lasting consequences and her cousin was patiently sitting by her side.

Ellen now wound up assisting with Jasper Mitchell, but the doctor was far from calm. She still didn't yet understand the relationship of Alan Parker and the clinic to the horrific organ trafficking case. With limited access to the entire story, she was only hearing confusing bits and pieces from the police and from the traumatized young man swaying so alarmingly in front of her.

"Jasper. Doctor Mitchell. Everyone's safe, please let us help you." Ellen kept trying to get through to him, but fear compounded by exhaustion had finally won out and he was completely irrational.

"It was Parker and I can't … I can't be here. I can't .. he's going to kill her .. then me." He repeated over and over again as Ellen and the attending emergency room doctor kept him in place but certainly not where they wanted him. Combative when he saw the hint of a syringe, the E.R. doctor was unable to sedate Jazz and they were happy enough just to have him sitting on the lip of a gurney, unsteady as he was. However, no one even yet realized that he was confusing Kylie Yeun with Kono Kalakaua.

"Let me see him." Elbowing through, Ponch grabbed each of the quaking shoulders and gave Jazz a firm and somewhat hard shake. "Jasper."

He was stunned by the filth and shocky, blown pupils as the young man plucked mindlessly now at his own arms.

"Let me go. Please?" He was pleading now and clearly frightened. "He killed her."

"Jasper. You're just tired and not thinking straight." It took a few minutes for the deep sensible voice to sink in, but it did and Jazz finally focused first on the broad chest and then the older man's face. "Look at me and calm down."

"Ramirez?" He whispered in confusion. Exhausted and wrung out, he'd come half awake in the ambulance and then fearfully aggressive in the hospital. Certain that Kylie Yeun was dead or that he was even next for Parker's lurid plans, Jazz conjured Kono's face too where he had last seen her on the operating table. The two womens' faces merged together and then blurred. He wasn't sure who was dead or who might be alive. He only felt his chest seize with the ongoing terror of what was bound to happen.

"Ramirez. He killed her. He sewed her eyes shut." Jazz blinked lazily up into the man's grim face and then patted his chest sloppily with a near hysterical chuckle. "Parker knows … but .. it's more .. worse than just supplies."

Getting confused again as Kono's sleeping face returned to replace Yeun's sewn shut eyes, Jazz shivered. "He's crazy .. he's going to hurt her, cut her and then kill her. I can't be here."

"Stop it!" Jazz was afraid again and not making sense. He was then physically stunned when Ramirez once more gave him a hard shake which rattled the very teeth in his head. The attending TAMC E.R. physician put a warning hand on Ponch's arm but he shrugged it off. He only had one objective and that was to get through to Jasper with whatever tactic worked.

"It's over, Jasper. The girl is safe. She's fine and so are you."

"No. He killed her. Parker .. he .. killed all of them really. He killed all of them. Each and every one and I'm next." Over the top of his friend's head, Ponch caught his wife's gaze and she nodded before mouthing ' _Parker_ ' again. Evidently there was a great deal of truth to Mitchell's ramblings but she didn't have the time to tell Ponch more. Plus, she also doubted some of what she did know; or at least she wanted to.

Under his tight grip, Jazz shuddered and tried to move away and his attention was drawn back down to the young doctor. "No. You're not going anywhere." With a hard shake, Ponch easily kept him on the edge of the exam table. "I said to stop it, Jasper. It's over and you can just stay right where you are. I'll take care of everything for you."

"Oh." Jasper's mind was befuddled and thick. Blinking again, he stared at Ramirez and trusted that whatever it was, he would take care of things. With an effort he remembered talking to the Asian officer and then the dark-haired one. Parker had been subdued; he knew that would be the word used by the media and he almost laughed out loud. It sounded right and he had a picture of the doctor laying on the concrete floor, bound hand and foot.

"Lay down, Jazz." Suddenly pliable, he sagged tiredly as Ponch pushed and the E.R. doctor quickly dispensed a sedative into his young patient.

"Ramirez?" Someone else was lifting his legs which he couldn't quite seem to get to cooperate. The feeling of helplessness slammed back into him and he gasped when he felt a wet coldness on his hand, the tell-tale scent of alcohol, and he tried to jerk away.

 _Intravenous .. dark hair .. a pretty face._ Jazz remembered an IV pole, two lines, two bags .. he had touched them, himself. But did he put them in or did he take them out?

"No!" Jazz hissed in fear as a he felt a prick but Ponch was still there; soothing and explaining, constantly talking about being able to take care of everything.

"You're safe and with good people. Let them help you, Jazz. General and I will be here."

Brows knit immediately at that and he studied the big doctor's face. He vaguely remembered the blonde officer making a joke about Ramirez having his dog. "General?" He was laying back now on the gurney with blankets up to his chest and intravenous fluids feeding into a port which was taped into his hand. In shock and confused, Jazz wasn't at all sure he heard correctly.

"Wait." Ponch smiled then only to bend down and lift a solid white shape to lay directly on top of Jazz's body. The doctor groaned with the brief effort and the gurney moved a bit as a new weight was added to it. "I don't know why, but this goliath of a dog missed you."

The familiar heavy warmth and wagging tail did wonders for the young doctor as General stretched out his full length to rest his bulky head on his master's chest with happy whuffling snorts breathed out across his collarbone. Understanding he needed to be gentle, General was exceedingly careful in his greeting. In awe of what was happening, Jazz managed to focus more as his swollen fingers found his dog's warm coat.

"Ramirez?" He was confused but General was definitely draped over his body. Warm and real, plus even hazy-eyed now from sedation, Jazz could tell that Ramirez was pleased.

"I told you that I would take care of everything. Calm down, Jasper." With nowhere to shove his busy hands, Ponch folded them behind his back and bounced happily on his toes. In truth, he was still worried for his young colleagues' health and mental reaction to being freed from a few days of a terrifying solitary confinement. Whatever he had witnessed on top of that would take time to move past. He was angry too and determined to find out for certain what Alan Parker had done. Faster than Ellen, Ponch was willing to put certain terrible things together and trust that Jasper's broken sentences implicated Alan Parker in something much worse. He knew instinctively that it would be directly related to the organ trafficking case that Five-0 had been studying over so many months. It was only the hindsight that he now regretted as he watched Jasper finally relax.

He stepped back to allow his wife and the attending to finish their evaluation around the intimidating body of the Bull Terrier. General shifted his gaze from Jasper up to Ponch and then back down. His tail thumped happily across the white sheets and he ignored the rest of his masters' gentle caretakers when Jazz lazily stroked his head. He heard his named hummed softly and his tail thumped even faster. Everyone knew the dog would not be allowed to stay at the hospital, but in the short term and as a favor to a distressed peer, the staff was willing to turn a temporary blind eye.

"Good." Ponch sighed out. He would track down Steve next to get the complete story and to check on Danny and Kono. First though, he needed to make sure Jasper's interests were cared for. Ensuring he was not in the way and that General continued to mind his manners, he sidled into a corner to watch the continued triage.

"Much better." Ellen agreed as Jazz seemed to fall asleep. Running her hand once over the big dog's head, Ellen grinned over the gurney in approval at her husband as she alternated between wiping the warehouse grunge and filth from Jasper's arms and then his face. Without a doubt, he and maybe even General would stay at the hospital until Jasper Mitchell was well enough to go home.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Just shy of five hours after being admitted to Tripler, Danny woke slowly and with not only a stuck brain, but a mouth that seemed to be clogged with cotton. His right arm was leaden across his chest and with a great deal of confusion, his eyes traced a blurry red line from the crook of his left elbow to an equally red but nearly empty bag.

His short intake of breath and weak attempt at moving brought Steve directly into view. Unkempt and clearly a combination of relief and frazzled temper, it was apparent Steve blurted out only what first came to mind. "Danno. Welcome back."

Danny stared at him and then frowned even more. He didn't quite know what had happened and didn't fully understand the tiny bandage on the side of Steve's temple near which, a purpling bruise darkened into his hairline. Lazily looking around the room and then the bed he lay on, his eyes went back up to the IV pole and he pursed his lips. But he was still groggy from the anesthesia and not much in the mood to talk, so he wound up waiting for Steve to explain what was going on.

"Transfusion." The too blandly said one word was shared by his angry partner who was standing at the foot of his hospital bed. Not expecting that to be the offering, neither the attitude nor the word made sense. Still in the dark, he tried to open his mouth but failed miserably when a wave of exhaustion swept over him from head to foot. Danny closed his eyes tiredly and tried to remember.

He of course didn't know that Doctor Ramirez had recently left the room as well, after ensuring Danny's care was up to par; not that it wouldn't have been. He also had reassured himself, plus both Steve and Chin, that Kono was indeed quite fine. Their quiet conversation had been intense as Steve brought the big doctor up to speed on what they now knew Alan Parker was responsible for.  _"He's been escalating for years._ " Steve explained.  _"When his father transitioned out of running the clinic actively, that just became another avenue to get what he wanted."_

They still needed to learn so much more; slowly and surely they certainly would. Some of which Steve knew would seem unjustly obvious though the crazy doctor had done well in hiding his true personality. Even his own father had sensed something was wrong, however like Ramirez, he had assumed it focused solely on diverted budget dollars, stolen medical merchandise, and an illegal drug trade. With a long list of innocent people mutilated, murdered and abducted all of this new knowledge did very little to pacify Ponch's turbulent emotional state.

Opening his eyes again, Steve had moved to lurk closer to the bed. He was anxiously watching a nurse and absorbing her soft reassurances that his partner was in the post surgical recovery room for a reason. "Of course, he's going to be confused and very tired, sir."

So now after waking from a critical surgery to not only save the use of his arm but also his life, the only reason Danny knew Steve was angry was due to the tightly stretched skin by his eyes. The deeply furrowed brow only added to the severe expression set off by a rigidly held posture and it was likely a good thing that Danny's throat was too dry to speak. The nurse walked away and Steve glanced down, relieved to find Danny's eyes open. Once again though, his comment wasn't what Danny expected to hear.

"I should cut your arm off myself." Steve had no real reason to be mad except that he was; and his display of anger was more testament to what had nearly happened. First the shock of finding Kono so helplessly close to being mutilated and then murdered had been maddening. Then learning the truth behind Alan Parker, the small clinic and the relationship to the organ trafficking case was an unexpected jolt of reality for all of them. On top of it all, Danny's simple little  _scratch_  hadn't been so much of one. A clearly dazed and shocked Doctor Mitchell could even see that well enough before the ambulances had arrived to the warehouse.

Steve unconsciously looked at his fingers expecting to still see dried blood and was fully relieved when he didn't. He had washed that off long ago while Danny had still been in surgery. Not yet mentally digesting what had almost happened to Kono and listening to the inane laughter from Parker, Steve hadn't been able to stop the flow of blood that had continued to eke through the bandages on Danny's arm. The fact that it wasn't a mere scratch had become more painfully obvious as Danny physically wilted in front of him and Duke Lukela, still complaining that he'd suffered nothing more than that.

Standing over him now, Steve rubbed his eyes and then scrubbed at his hair, wincing when he glossed accidentally over his own bruises. An hour was a long time to wait for news on anyone in a hospital. He'd been forced to endure four before word reached him that the surgery was going well and that Danny was holding his own. Then it took another hour after that for staff to permit him to visit though his partner was still in recovery.

Steve had been waiting for Danny's eyes to open or for the slightest of movements. What he had just said wasn't even close to what he'd rehearsed, but the relief at having it finally happen, accidentally came out as sarcasm. He took a deeper breath in order to start over when he saw the continuing depths of the confused expression.

"I'm sorry." For a brief moment, Steve hung his head and whispered mostly into the bed's metal frame. "Sorry, Danny. It's been a rough day."

After that, he was at a loss for words as he ground his jaw deliberately from left to right. It was easier to start at the beginning, which was to explain to his partner where he actually was and why. He blew out a steady breath of air before beginning with a much softer tone. "It wasn't just a scratch, Danno. You're in the hospital ... at Tripler ... and you just got out of surgery a little while ago."

Steve forced his voice to remain low after their stressful afternoon. Danny's right arm had been operated on to repair layers of damaged tissue, a torn ligament, and badly severed blood vessels. Of course, that had been the instinctive arm to throw up into the air to protect himself from the downward swing of the razor-sharp scalpel. The attack had been a surprise but his reaction had nearly been his undoing.

"It was very deep." Steve repeated himself as Danny's face worriedly changed. He was remembering short dark snippets of time now that Steve was quietly reciting what had occurred at the warehouse. "It wasn't just a scratch and you could have bled out. You could have lost the use of your arm. But you'll heal if you listen to the doctors. And trust me, Danno, you will listen."

Steve had a slight concussion himself, a vile headache, had almost lost two of his team and was in a terrible mood. Possibly one that even rivaled Doctor Ramirez's own. That irritability was another thing Danny quite naturally realized and he waited to be updated next on Kono's status. He waited patiently as Steve inhaled loudly in another attempt to settle edgy nerves before slowly sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Kono's fine. She was heavily sedated just like Doctor Mitchell said .. her knee was cut up from the surfing accident this morning. But even that's okay and has been looked after." Not needing to talk, Danny quirked a small smile because it was good news and completely closed the terrifying loop.

"HPD called hazmat to go through a few things at the clinic and they found her wallet and cell phone tossed into medical waste disposal bins." The more he finally spoke, the more Steve deflated and Danny allowed it all to happen. The man needed to talk to calm his nerves and assure even himself that his friends were going to be fine. "Chin is with her, and she's already beginning to wake up. She actually missed all the action and only remembers being at the clinic. She doesn't remember anything else."

With their stress all skyrocketing, it was almost amusing to find that Kono had essentially slept through the entire affair from start to finish. It was also a blessing unto itself because she was saved from having had to see or experience what they had witnessed. Entirely serious, Steve was still talking as he completed the necessary updates. "I don't think she needs to stay the night, but she's still woozy and being monitored. She's on a round of fluids to flush all of that stuff out of her system."

"Good." The word puffed out on an exhale. Danny nodded wearily before running the fingers of his left hand through his hair and asking about Alan Parker's first kidnap victim. "Mitchell?" He asked quietly before coughing as his dry throat hitched. "How's he?"

"Mentally and physically exhausted." Steve confirmed, while handing Danny the plastic cup of water and then managed a grin. He retrieved and then balanced the left-handed bobble before the cup could spill, made even more awkward by the effects of pain killers and anesthesia. "He's suffering from shock, dehydration and exposure. Doc Ramirez showed up with the dog of all things but it seemed to help pull Mitchell out of the worst of his funk. He's going to need time though."

Danny closed his eyes in sympathy while he whispered to agree, "Sure."

The basement room was dark, solid and dismally solitary. He understood the mental stress and didn't doubt that the young doctor would need time to move past that terrible experience. He sensed Steve fidget and then the bed moved as Steve got back to his feet. He was still running on the remnants of a nervous energy and unable to sit still for too long.

"You're staying a day or even two. Get some sleep." His eyes were already skidding shut though as Steve provided him with that last bit of information.

Danny recognized a tone that would have sounded defeated to someone else's ear. In reality, Steve was as mentally and emotionally drained as he claimed Jasper Mitchell to be. Once it all dissipated from his system, he'd probably sleep for hours now that his own adrenalin rush was plummeting. Danny knew that before he hit his own bed, his partner would use the ocean to purge whatever was left despite the bruise on his temple. It was part and parcel of the job, a habit Steve needed to ensure his own sanity, and Danny couldn't complain as he allowed himself to fall asleep.

He would learn about Alan Parker's fate later; right now, everything was mostly right in the world and he could rest.

Remaining in the room a few more minutes, Steve paused in the doorway to be sure his partner was sleeping. The transfusion was nearly complete but two other intravenous lines were forcing both fluids and antibiotics into Danny's system to combat infection. The nurse was back if she had ever actually left to check one thing or another and she smiled at Steve once more.

With another abstract glance towards his hands, Steve shook his head in one last attempt to rid himself of the nightmarish memories. Kono on an operating table. A crazed maniac in a white surgical mask. He sucked in a deep breath before finally leaving. The clean white bandage that now covered Danny's arm and a multitude of expertly laid stitches was an enormous difference from the bloody wad that the first had become.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	15. Chapter 15

 

**Chapter 15**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono was mad. So mad in fact, that she refused to look Chin in the face. It didn't matter that he even understood because that understanding only made matters worse. It was so utterly fine and yet so perfectly damning all rolled into one, then tied up with a pretty yellow bow.

"How's Danny?" Released the same day to go home from the hospital, she had just finished getting dressed with clothes Chin had kindly retrieved for her from her house while undergoing treatment to flush her system from the strong sedatives. Her concern for Danny was genuine, but the question came out abruptly and she mentally kicked herself for sounding so defensive.

"Steve said he was a bit out of it and that he was sleeping again. They think he's going to be fine." Once more, her cousin managed to make it worse. Even though he essentially just answered her question, the gentle tone was so calmly understanding, Kono's sense of aggravation only grew.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she sighed heavily while brushing her hair almost rudely in the bathroom before pulling it into an even tighter ponytail. She made herself wince as she pulled the band to the nape of her neck. The door was ajar and she aimed her voice to where he stood just outside holding her beach bag. "Listen, Chin, I'm good and just want to go home right now. You don't need to stay here or hang out with me."

Chin was leaning against the wall with every intention of taking her wherever she wanted to go. Leaving her alone was certainly not on his agenda. In her temper, she'd also already forgotten that HPD still had her car for processing. When she finally opened the bathroom door to limp out for the new stitches in her knee, he silently held her bag out and she snatched it off his fingers.

"So, I'm going to poke my head in to see Danny. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He mockingly raised his eyebrows as she continued talking and she finally remembered without a verbal prompt. Her face clouded immediately and her next outburst was filled with complete frustration. "Damn it, Chin!" She wanted to cry for real at that point and Chin at least had the grace to ignore that emotional reaction, too.

"We can pick up your car tomorrow when HPD is done with it." He shrugged as if it were nothing to worry about, though it was farthest from the truth. He waited and absorbed her temper knowing full well that she was embarrassed though no one was judging her one bit. She'd done what was natural and intuitive; then had found herself in the most unwitting and unlikely of traps.

Chin smiled to calm her down since there were unshed tears welling in her eyes. "Kono, it's okay."

That he said as selfishly for himself as much as for her before reaching out in the privacy of the hospital room to grab both her arms. He anticipated her attempt at avoiding him because his gesture would be taken as sympathetic. And of course, sympathy would be another thing she wouldn't want. In comparison, his own stoic demeanor was merely an outward demonstration because he had hours to work on getting his own emotions under wraps. Like Steve, discovering his cousin in such a helpless set of circumstances was devastating. Seemingly in control now, while Kono slept on and on in the hospital, it was only because he had nothing but time to work through a variety of ' _what if'_ scenarios during which he failed each and every time.

"Hey." He insisted on holding her in place when she tried to shirk him off as if to make a statement. However, there was so much he could feasibly ignore with due conscience as he gave her a gentle shake. Kono's desire to brow beat herself over what had just occurred was completely unnecessary. "You didn't do anything wrong, cuz. In fact, what you intended to do makes perfect sense."

"No. No, I'm stupid." Chin rubbed her arms while Kono's lip trembled, then stilled, and she regained her composure. She finally nodded at his disagreeable and very persistent smirk. He was trying to make her smile and was going to eventually succeed despite her determination to humiliate herself one thousand times over. But still, she did feel as if she'd made a ridiculous mistake. "I do feel really stupid."

"No need, cuz. Really." His grin finally made her smile in return through a few lost tears which rolled down her cheeks. But falling asleep in one place and waking up entirely somewhere else was rather unsettling at best. Everything was simply too fresh for her to feel anything but utterly foolish for having made such a blunder.

"You're just mad that you slept like a baby through all the fun." He chided her as he finally succeeded at pulling her into a full reassuring hug. Whispering into her hair, Chin couldn't help the chuckle that rose up in his voice. "By the way, did you know that you snore like a champion race horse?"

With a loud gasp, Kono pulled out of his arms with eyes as wide as saucers. Tears forgotten, she had to bite back her own laugh because she was going to get even with him. "Chin Ho Kelly!"

Much too late, Chin realized the one mistake he'd made as he saw the side of the beach bag hurtling directly into his face.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Jasper woke to the vibration of General's deep tremulous growl which he felt through the blankets. Not quite awake, it took a moment to remember where he was and that the current reality was quite _real_. With one hand, he automatically lay a soothing hand on the agitated Terrier's head.

"Quiet." He whispered around a throat that still seemed tight and sore for some reason when the dog's harsh warning vibration continued.

"General, no. Be quiet." Ramirez had worked whatever magic was necessary to allow the dog to stay with him for a few added hours at Tripler and Jazz didn't want to ruin it by having the animal prematurely evicted. He was startled though by what happened next and General felt his alarm. In one smooth motion, the dog rose to all four paws to straddle his owner while still on the hospital bed.

"Please accept my apologies, Doctor Mitchell." The thin, gravelly voiced reached him low and from off to his right. "I didn't mean to disturb you or your fine dog."

With a hand tightening around General's collar, Jasper turned his head to come nearly face to face with the elderly Adrian Parker. Two other suited strangers were in attendance and flanking each side of the senior Parker's wheelchair. Wearing what Jasper knew was likely a nearly permanent nasal cannula, a portable oxygen tank was attached to the chair and the man was whistling in short panted breaths. The man's skin was well-weathered but nearly gray from illness with just slightly blue-tinged lips.

He didn't need to ask for introductions, yet Adrian Parker extended his hand despite General's ongoing warning. His two suited attendants glanced nervously to each other concerning the dog's attitude, but forced themselves to stand their ground next to their employer. Uncertain and more than a bit leery, Jazz didn't respond as he adjusted his hold on General's collar. Slowly, he watched as the elderly man's hand dropped limply to his lap.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't shake my hand, either." Adrian sighed sadly at Jazz's rather unsettled expression.

"The nurses say you're feeling well and getting better. You can be released tomorrow." Attempting light conversation, all Adrian achieved was to rattle Jazz more for knowing so much about his condition. Then again, the man was at one time an esteemed physician even if his son was a psychopathic murderer.

"Who are you?" The deep baritone sounded from the doorway. It caused Jazz's eyes to fly up with undisguised relief and the dog's tail to wag happily from side to side. Ramirez had returned for a visit and to duly remove General from hospital grounds before the dog's presence was seen as overly excessive.

The big doctor stood for a moment in the doorway to the hospital room, nearly as cautious as Jasper Mitchell as he gauged each person present in the room, most of all the patient he'd come to see. When he saw the elderly man's features which very closely resembled that of his terrible son, Ponch knew at least one new face without the man needing to answer. He did frown though when he saw General's defensive posture as he stood over his owner's body on the bed. "Is something wrong here?"

"I, am Doctor Adrian Parker." One of the suited attendant's turned Parker's wheelchair to face Ramirez.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Doctor Ramirez." Like Jazz, Ponch didn't immediately respond to the elderly doctor's welcome, warm as it might have been. But with just a hairs-breadth of a pause, he deigned to shake the man's hand. Rather than a fearful uncertainty though, his response was due to being honestly surprised and perhaps a bit suspicious for the reason behind the man's unannounced arrival. He recovered quickly enough but continued to make a judgmental decision based solely on Jasper's worried silence.

"Yes. Well." Gesturing to the hallway and moving to be closer to his bedridden friend, Ponch gestured to the hallway. "Doctor Mitchell is not accepting visitors just yet."

"Least of all me I suppose." Adrian finished with a truly aggrieved sigh. "I understand. But you need to know that I came to apologize. I knew something was off and wrong .. but I assumed it to be solely the running of the clinic .. certainly nothing like this."

The elderly man was genuinely contrite and he spoke directly to Jasper before motioning that he should be removed from the room for the sake of the patient. However. he waited in the hallway until Ramirez came out to speak with him. Leashed by side was a rather reluctant General.

Parker read the mistrust easily enough with the big doctor, too, and didn't try to dispute it. In a way, he also deserved it all though his lawyer heartily disagreed. He had arranged for Ramirez to be at the clinic for a variety of reasons all of which were meant to benefit the now lowly establishment, not uncover his son's dangerous habits.

"I had thought you'd help get the place straightened out. That Alan might learn something of great value." It sounded utterly ridiculous now that he said it out loud. Ridiculous and entirely self-absorbed.

Pausing to breathe more studiously and calm an erratic heart, Adrian needed to stop fairly often and he quietly appreciated Ramirez's obvious understanding and patience. Even though trust was decidedly stretched very thin, doctor to doctor at least recognized the ailing senior's physical circumstances. Adrian gave a brief nod of thanks before continuing. "I knew the funds for the clinic were being mis-used. I even knew that important medical supplies were being tampered with … but no, not this. I could never have guessed that my own son was so … terribly sick."

Ponch frowned uncomfortably. He didn't quite understand what the old man was getting at and he assumed that the rumors of dementia were valid enough as what seemed like ramblings continued. But as he spoke, Ponch realized that Adrian Parker was indeed quite sound of mind and that contrived rumor had been just that.

"I'm going to help the police wherever I can. Alan may be a lost cause though … even I know that after learning the depths of what he's done for such a long, long time." He sputtered through an inhale and then a shuddering exhale. "He's clearly not competent to stand trial, but something must be done. It hardly seems fair to merely incarcerate him after what was done to those poor people."

"It's not over yet either. There's at least one more person out there." He wasn't sure why he blurted it out. Maybe to get a reaction, to see if the old man was lying or to just hurt him more. The two suited men shifted in a stunned silence next to their employer. Each was undeniably disturbed by the announcement and Ponch wound up feeling sorry as the elderly man sagged into his wheelchair.

Stealing himself, he explained what Jasper had finally been able to communicate about what he'd seen prior to Kono's abduction. "Kylie Yeun was treated at the clinic for a burn she'd gotten at her job. She worked at a local fast food restaurant."

Five-0 had already looked into the missing Kylie Yeun and it was true enough. The young woman had not shown up for her shift. But turnover was high at fast food restaurants and the manager didn't think much of it. As was the norm, he found someone to work at minimum wage quickly enough to replace the unreliable worker.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." It was all Adrian could think to say. "Do the police know where .. or what .. Alan did to her?

"Only that she's dead." Ponch was beginning to feel very bad now for the frail old man as he inhaled a whistling breath. The man genuinely cared and wasn't nearly as dour as everyone had been led to believe. It must have been a tremendous chore to get the man out of bed and to the hospital that day. Regardless of his own physical woes, Ponch sensed that Adrian Parker had insisted that his staff make it happen.

Attempting to moderate his tone to be at least more empathetic and less antagonistic, Ponch finished his explanation but omitted the fact that some of her organs had been found in the warehouse refrigeration unit. "The police haven't located her body yet, though."

Though he made an educated effort at leaving out some things, Parker narrowed his eyes at the words, understanding immediately what the big doctor meant. "I see."

Other remnants of Kylie Yeun were long gone; sold to whomever Alan Parker had done business with and he wasn't talking. Other organs still maintained in the large warehouse refrigerator had been identified as likely belonging to the woman by the medical examiner. But the full bodily remains were still missing.

"Jasper is talking about leaving the island." It was the final blow for the old man as his head swiveled now in shock to meet Ramirez's gaze and he glanced down to the dog who was now calmly sitting in the hallway. Said after a stressful interview with Five-0 where Jasper detailed seeing the dead and disgraced Yeun in the warehouse, Ponch wasn't sure that the young doctor actually meant it. The words had been serious enough though and one thing remained clear. "He's not coping well."

"Leave?" Ponch looked hard at the elder Parker, a bit perplexed by the strong emotional reaction. He waited as the man took a period of time to gather his wits but the long silence was intolerable as neither man really knew what to say. The two attendants with Parker also waited patiently until he signaled to one who pulled a large envelope from inside his suit jacket.

"When he's feeling better, please give this to Doctor Mitchell. I will await his answer regardless of what he might decide." The sincerity was not lost on Ramirez as he accepted the sealed documents.

The most odd of comments came out seconds later and Ramirez could only stare as he realized what it meant. "Let's not have him win everything."

Adrian was referring to his son as he glanced meaningfully from the ex-TAMC's doctor's face to the unopened documents he'd just handed over. When Ramirez looked up, the nearly defeated old man was being wheeled away.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

It wasn't what he expected, then oftentimes the things that sometimes happened in life - or in the line of police work - never were. Right arm in a sling, Danny couldn't comfortably drive but he had been cleared to work as long as he didn't exert himself. As long as he didn't do precisely what he was doing at that very moment. But he had two very good reasons for disobeying doctors' orders and he used both to adequately justify himself.

One, he and Steve had not asked for the car jacker to appear so boldly during their lunch at the open-air café where they were enjoying a blessedly mild day and the best burgers Danny had eaten in ages. Two, his partner had instantly responded to the woman's blood-curdling screams as if he was hearing Pavlov's Bell. Jumping the low wrought iron fence that separated café from sidewalk, Steve was in automatic pursuit and gone before Danny could bat an eye.

If Danny needed a third reason, he contrived in his mind that he was only mildly breaking the rules by following Steve at a slow, casual jog and dutifully avoiding the obstacles his partner was enduring. The car jacker had brazenly stolen and then promptly crashed the Mercedes two-seater after making a wrongly wild decision. The side road he had chosen for his escape was under construction and closed to all traffic. With nowhere to go, he had cooly slid into the side of a commercial town truck barely one half block from the café. It happened so quickly, that neither Steve nor Danny needed to do more than approach the idiotic felon on foot.

But unhurt, he'd abandoned the pretty dark blue sports car where it stayed wedged like a misfit metallic offspring to the mammoth orange and white truck. He had taken off running in an aggressive attempt to shake his pursuers through a variety of interesting obstacles, twists and turns. His first act was to dodge cars and trucks by running across two moderately trafficked streets. Much to Danny's chagrin, Steve had followed and then continued on over a tall chain-link fence, down a rocky slope, and into a long, wet culvert.

Of course after those two initial streets, Danny had abandoned thoughts of trying to manage the fence, hilly scrabble, or the culvert in lieu of a safer and much wiser course that allowed him to follow predator and prey without losing too much of a line of sight. He was pleased with himself and even with Steve for gaining critical ground on their man until he spotted the mouth to the large storm-drain through which the trickle of dirty water was aggressively disappearing.

Grumbling unhappily to himself, Danny held the sling protectively to his chest with his free arm as he slowly trotted along. He was soon going to be forced to either completely give up the chase or attempt at least part of the culvert on the opposite side of a tertiary road where he saw a short bridge. It was obvious that the storm drain ran under the bridge and reappeared on the opposite side within dense scrub-brush. He had no idea what happened after that since the watery slip of water seemed to be literally swallowed up by even more dense, dark green jungle.

Regardless, he could easily see that their prey had every intention of ducking into the corrugated pipe and following it through to where it would open up again on the opposite side of the street. The idiot would probably run to the ocean at this rate and Danny made a disgusted face. Still griping under his breath for what he was going to do, Danny headed straight for that egress at a faster pace.

Danny estimated that he could cut their perp off easily enough if he kept to his dedicated and deliberate goal. And when Steve slipped on wet rocks and fell to one knee just shy of their disappearing quarry, Danny set his jaw and gauged the short drop. Already on the other side of the street, he carefully swung over the low guard rail and then slipped once on the pebbly rubble, catching himself without jarring his arm too badly. When he got to the bottom though, what he found was completely unexpected and he almost forgot about their car jacker until he heard the slosh of booted feet echoing from the pipe.

Looking around quickly, Danny avoided his macabre find to pick up a stout, thick stick in his left hand. It would be awkward but he could manage what he needed to do especially since he heard the sounds escalating in volume which meant Steve was once more gaining ground stride for stride. He only needed to provide a bit of a delay.

Danny grinned when he saw the glimmer of a near stumbling shadow first. He aimed where he thought the man's knees would be, counted to ten, and then swung as hard as he could like a switch-hitter in a baseball game. The man's forward momentum did the rest. There were two resounding cracks. The first was caused by the solid thwack of the stick as it connected just above the man's right knee. He instantly fell hard, virtually ass over tea-kettle with a stunned cry of pain winding up face down in the water. The second was from the heavy branch itself which shattered neatly in two.

"You my friend, are under arrest for ruining my lunch. Do not even think about moving."

Within seconds, Danny had his gun out in his left-hand and aimed at the back of the man's head without so much as breaking a sweat. Stunned to be off his feet, he lay gasping in the few inches of water before squalling about a broken leg. Far from being apologetic, Danny cocked his head and made a face about the damaged limb. "Nah, I doubt it. Though yeah, I'm sure it hurts like hell."

With only a dusty knee, he was otherwise clean and dry in comparison to Steve as he pounded out of the dank drainage pipe. Winded and splattered by muddy water, Steve stopped when he reached the downed man and studied his nearly immaculate partner from head to toe ensuring that he hadn't re-injured his arm.

"You should have stayed at the café." Steve complained heavily through a series of deep inhales.

"You're right for a change; I should have. That was the best burger I've had in ages. This bozo owes me another one. Medium rare with extra fries." Rather than grinning at the snarky retort, Steve frowned almost in disgust.

"What?" Steve warily demanded. Danny was almost too delighted as he aimed a sniff in his direction and then winced dramatically.

"Shower, babe. Our lunch date is officially over." With an abstract wave of his hand, Steve bent over at the waist to suck in another few lungfuls of air. Danny grimaced at the wad of what looked like glimmering wet spider webs draped through his dark hair. On top of that, Steve's cargo's were ripped and soiled from hem to just above his shins from where he'd either kicked up water or slipped yet again into the silty muck.

"I see shampoo in your future."

"Shut up, Danno. I'll just borrow yours since you have enough for an army."

"Alright, but really? I thought it was the Navy." The withering look he received set Danny to grinning even more widely. He was sure that the filthy wad of whatever was moving sluggishly on top of his partner's hair.

"But .. seriously though. You .. ah ..  _first_  .. might want to get that off your head. You've acquired an alien."

"Umm. Yeah .. what is that?" Hampered by gun and sling, Danny awkwardly gestured a bit with his elbow up towards the thick dirty web or what could be some matted leaves and other filth. He watched in amusement as Steve wiped frantically with both hands to get the sticky mass out of his hair. As it clung to his fingers and something creepy with multiple legs seemed to run free, Steve swished even faster through the equally dirty drain water only to wipe his wet hands dry across his t-shirt.

"That's just ... great." Now muddy from top to bottom, Danny rolled his eyes towards the sky. "Perfect. You're going to need another tetanus shot."

"I know what you're going to say." Steve panted out as he leaned down to cuff their man and haul him to his feet. The man cried out as his right leg at first resisted carrying any of his weight. Now captured, he was thoroughly upset and spouting about the injustices of police brutality while both officers ignored him.

"No, I actually don't think you do." Though he was thinking it and vowing that it eventually would happen, Danny wasn't yet going to demand that Steve get another ride back to the office. It didn't matter that he couldn't drive with an injured right arm either. His musty partner was not stepping one mud-drenched boot into the new black Camaro. Taking a wide berth as Steve hopped the car jacker out of the dirty water, Danny still managed to avoid the fusty mildewy pair. He interrupted Steve's sarcastic comment about getting into the Camaro as he gestured dismally towards a large rocky outcropping and deep scrub brush which bordered the water in the culvert.

"I don't think you do." Danny sighed repeatedly before pausing at the foot of the incline which led back to the road. "You need to see this."

Steve frowned as he pulled their man back to stand still, ignoring the pained complaints when he saw the black plastic bag which was ripped open in places to reveal just enough of the gory contents. Steve winced as the breeze wafted the smell of decay in their direction and even their perp stopped speaking.

"Ten to one, this is Parker's last victim." Danny's tone was a dismal one. Partially hidden by the damaged black plastic, heavy undergrowth and just resting up against a large boulder, was a thin skeletal hand with an odd darkened oblong mark and a bit of what looked like the remains of a surgical bandage. Cradling his arm to his chest, Danny was morose because he knew even without Max Bergman yet making the formal declaration, that they'd just found Kylie Yeun.

"Damn." Steve muttered under his breath. "You're absolutely right." The two took a sad moment to look at each other before moving up the short slope. Their not so quiet day had progressively worsened one more notch up and entirely in the wrong direction.

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

One week after being released and just a few days after Kylie Yeun had been found, Jasper Mitchell still hadn't returned to the clinic. He hadn't verbally mentioned it but in all reality, it wasn't very far from his thoughts. He just wasn't sure those thoughts were dwelled upon in a good way. On the plus side, he was still on the island despite his initial statement vowing to leave and never return.

More often than not, he would move from small bedroom to his equally small but comfortable sofa where he would lay for hours staring blindly at the ceiling. The envelope that Adrian Parker had given to Doctor Ramirez for him to read sat practically forgotten and unopened on top of the dusty refrigerator. General would follow him patiently from room to room. At first happy that his master was home every waking hour, the dog eventually became confused by the lack of activity and usual play. Their free time was always spent hiking or beach walking or even going to the dog park because General liked to be kept busy.

Disgruntled and becoming annoyingly bored, General stared at his owner in utter disgust and then rolled playfully on his back. Even upside down he could stare at the closed-off face. But nothing he did could entice Jasper out of his doldrums, though he knew that his presence was at least needed as a source of company.

"Not now." Jasper muttered half-heartedly to his playful dog. He was laying sprawled on the sofa when he heard the truck pull up. It jolted General to his feet in a smooth motion and he stood perfectly still, just listening. The sound of its engine being shut off and then a car door slamming made Jazz groan in annoyance and he flung one arm resentfully over his eyes. His other hugged a pillow to his chest as he scrunched his shoulders down into the cushions of the sofa, he knew he was right when General half-whiffled and then half-barked a happy odd sound.

"Stupid, bad bad dog." He bemoaned quietly as the door opened without preamble and he heard Ramirez's booming welcome for General's exuberant greeting. He was going to be subjected yet to another round of one Doctor Alphonse Ramirez's school of tough love where even his own pet was against him.

Jazz winced under his arm as the large shape entered the room and the creaks and groans of his old lazy-boy side chair gave testament to its use. He mentally counted to ten and then wasn't disappointed as the questions started.

"Are you ever going to get up and leave this house?" Ramirez asked. General gazed happily at the big doctor as he spoke and then swung his head in anticipation towards Jasper as if waiting for the reply. He fidgeted on his hip when his master finally opened his mouth, but he didn't say any of the words that General recognized and his ears dropped in disappointment.

"No. Maybe." The muffled response was spoken into his arm as their typical gyrations began as they always did.

"People are asking for you."

"That's nice." Jasper retorted in a mild temper. Half his house was filled with food from well-meaning neighbors, his best patients from the clinic, and even people he had never heard of.

From the few televised reports that had mentioned the doctor's dog, General even had his own set of virtually unknown groupies. He was making out quite nicely in the kibble, treat and toy arenas himself. General didn't quite understand the spectacular smells that wafted around the kitchen, but he certainly benefited from the bounty. Then of course, was his growing chest of dog toys where he had latched onto a stuffed duck as his latest favorite.

Refusing to look at his guest, Jazz didn't see the true concern reflecting so deeply within Ponch's eyes. After days of this, he was running out of words and reasons which always failed at coaxing the young doctor back to life. The newscasts were full of Parker family intrigue and debates around if Alan Parker would truly be declared incompetent to stand trial. At first that incompetence had been assumed, but that had been prior to the results of a psychological evaluation which were soon to be duly discussed during a pending competency hearing. Rumor on the street was that Alan Parker would be fully tried and brought to justice on numerous counts of abduction, the illegal practice of medicine, theft, attempted murder, kidnapping a police officer with intent to harm, and a current count of eight individual murder charges. In fact, the laundry list of charges continued to pile up so deeply upon the man, any one of which would sentence him to multiple life terms.

"I want you to come to the clinic tomorrow." Ponch had no business asking. He was essentially a non-employee serving a probationary term by order of the court. But the clinic was still open and operating and its denizens had turned to the older man for help and guidance. In reality, they wanted their Doctor Mitchell back in their fold because they cared so very much.

"You need to at least poke your head in for a few hours." Softening a bit, Ponch tried a small compromise and yet still got no real reaction.

The television was humming along very softly in the background and Ponch was disgusted to see the afternoon news highlights focusing on Parker. The dislike quickly turned to shock because Five-0 had finally located what was perceived as the final victim. The body had actually been discovered a few days earlier and the information withheld from the media until the medical examiner had confirmed the woman's identity.

He was both relieved and saddened to read the scrolled words and hear the faint bits of information while photographs of Kylie Yeun were flashed across the screen. The clinic was called out again and Alan Parker's face was shown standing on its steps in an old photograph from supposedly happier times.

"Damn it." Ponch muttered under his breath. It was a stunningly new revelation that Ponch didn't even know of until that very moment and he glanced worriedly over to Jazz. The man was still hiding under his arm though and hadn't noticed even one short second of the report. To forestall an unfortunate reaction, he simply palmed the remote from the coffee table and turned the TV off. Part of him also worried that the identification of Yeun's body was the only reason keeping Jasper from leaving Hawaii. Once she had been found as it was now being reported, Ponch wondered if Jasper would make good on those plans.

"Did you at least open the envelope yet?" For that, Jasper sunk further into the sofa and set his lips in a thin white line to prove that he hadn't; in fact, he'd completely forgotten about it.

Attempting to stifle his own rising temper, Ponch got to his feet and without asking, began a search of the small house. He was partly surprised when Jazz still refused to move or ask what he was doing as he rummaged first through the small living room and then moved to the kitchen. It didn't take long for him to spy it on top of the refrigerator. Using his temper more productively, Ponch tossed the envelope firmly to Jazz's chest.

Next to him, General's head swiveled with interest at the motion and he waited to see what would happen next. "Here. Open it now."

A multitude of things crossed Jazz's mind but never made it out of his mouth. He thought of every nasty comment in the book and he even envisioned himself ripping the envelope in half. Instead, his fingers opened to crinkle the thick paper and find where it was so neatly sealed.

"Open it, Jasper. Get it over with." This time Ponch stood over him and refused to move. He sensed that the doctor would stay this time until he did something, so with a heavy heart Jasper resentfully tugged the thing apart and then forced his eyes to focus on the writing. He read the first paragraph without trying to actually understand it, but then his eyes darted back up to the top.

"What?" Ponch demanded. Squirming to a more seated position, Jazz read the entire first page and then the second. He stood up and brushed by the big doctor and directly for the kitchen where he paused by the table. Excited now, General almost tripped his feet up as the atmosphere in the room changed. In the sunlight from the window, Jazz slowly re-read the documents once more and muttered something completely unintelligible under his breath.

"Jasper, what is it?" Already exasperated, Ponch followed on his heels. Jazz couldn't answer with his mouth hanging open as he went back to the first page and started over again much more slowly and deliberately. Even on his third time through, he wasn't sure he got it right.

"Umm. Well .. it's about the clinic." Jazz's mouth stuttered along with his brain. He missed Ponch's disgusted look because he could have at least guessed that much with the documents coming from old man Parker.

"What's wrong?" Reacting to the choked gasps and the disbelieving expression, Ponch finally snatched the top page out of his fingers. Frowning in advance of reading the words because he was certain that he would not like it, he too got just so far before his own stunned sound echoed in the room.

They stared at each other without a word before Ponch focused enough to finish reading both formal pages.

"So." Ramirez started and then stopped. He glanced at his stunned friend who was aimlessly walking back to the living room, and then huffed a confusing congratulatory snort of approval. Adrian Parker's near cryptic words that day in the hospital had meaning. A very determined and significant meaning. The result of which would also put a definite kink in Jazz's continued promise to leave Hawaii. He was still here too, and now a stunning opportunity had presented itself.

"So. You now own the Medical Mission Free Clinic and all the land it sits on, Doctor Jasper Mitchell." Ramirez began to smile because it made sense in every way imaginable. He was laughing heartily by the time Jazz weakly sank back onto the sofa to hold his head in both hands. Still excited, General was running in circles and playfully trying to shove his new best duck toy into Jasper's covered face.

Happier than he had been in a long time because what had just happened was ultimately perfect in its design, Ponch continued to laugh. "Congratulations, Dr. Mitchell!"

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Contacting Adrian Parker was going to be the easy part. All that Jasper needed to do was pick up the phone and use the direct number he'd been given within the letter. However, his current issue was the call he'd just received from a pet rescue service on the Big Island. It was actually his second conversation on the subject and he'd had some time to prepare, though not very much. As he told Madeline McCarvey, the woman who had purchased the very last breeding for her Champion female Bull Terrier  _Aurora Night_  to one Champion Bull Terrier,  _General Patton_ , it wasn't a good time.

"It's not a good time." He found himself repeating the sentence again. But he lacked fervor since it was never going to be a good time and he felt like a heel for even muttering the words out loud. His comment nearly caught the administrator by surprise but she knew, as did virtually every person across Hawaii, what had just happened to him. The media could be a virulent thing after all. She had actually waffled about calling him but Madeline McCarvey had reached out first to inform him of the puppy's plight. Maddie had laid the roadwork for the administrator to now do what she did best.

 _"I don't have to tell you, Jazz, that our bullies are rather persnickety. They aren't for everyone and this little one is special. Besides .. it's darn lucky that Animal Control did the right thing first and got her to the rescue instead of letting her wallow in some kennel! Plus, she was meant for you."_ Maddie spouted with determination.

He didn't like her craftily pleased tone but she meant what she said with a genuine excitement. According to Maddie, who was a bit in love with the romantic idea of serendipity, what was happening was an act of divine destiny.

 _"Jazz, this is a fortunate and very lucky accident of fate! Kismet even!"_ He swore that she was giddy on the other end of the line and had to at least smile. It was very strange that the abandoned brindle female was the one she had ear-marked for Jasper, herself. He had refused endless proposals from her that began the same night the pups had been born. He had rejected Maddie's insistent pushing despite her argument about a future regret for not having one of General's last pups.

 _"They're all special, Maddie."_  His fading retort fell on deaf ears and Jazz knew he was sunk at least in the short-term until they found another buyer. A good owner who would do the little female justice.

He sighed as he listened to the pet rescue administrator who was now waxing on about the puppy's lovely traits and how he simply needed to help.

 _"I know it might not be good timing and I'm very sorry, Doctor Mitchell."_ The pet rescue administrator was no doubt truly sorry, but she continued to wheedle him as his façade crumbled. Because, in reality, how could it not into dusty little pebbles?

_"I can send the puppy to you directly via a local flight and she can be there this afternoon. It's a blessing that you are so close for her sake. Shipping such a youngster back to Australia is so incredibly stressful and she certainly does not belong here at the rescue."_

He winced at the near miss of mentioning fate, though blessings were close enough to a repeat of that sentiment. Regardless, he knew his location was optimal too and so, he agreed on principle.

"Yes. I'll make it work." Jazz mumbled distractedly. Being so close geographically, it was easily his responsibility and he nodded into the phone before realizing that she couldn't actually see him. "Yes, yes. It's fine. I'll pick her up today .. just send me all the details and paperwork by email." He said a bit more loudly.

She hung up quickly in fear that he might verbally change his mind with promises to eMail all the final flight and paperwork within the hour. Sighing, Jasper rubbed his hand through his sandy hair to leave it mussed and spiky.

"I can't blame this on you." He addressed General who sat by his side thumping his tail on the ground for any type of attention. Things seemed to be getting back to normal and they'd just returned from a short walk on the beach. His master was up and about rather than lazing around and General was in a good mood.

Jasper's hobby for years had been dogs and professional dog shows. And not just any dogs shows, but national and even international venues and Jasper had co-owned General every step of the way. General was hands-down his favorite dog and he'd bought out his partner so he could enjoy the dog as a pet once he'd been retired. Now permanently a house-pet, General had only recently been neutered before accommodating his last studly commitments as requested by Maddie McCarvey and for lovely brindle-coated Bull Terrier Champion, Aurora Night. The puppy in question was from the Bull Terrier's very last litter and had been found abandoned in a townhouse on the Big Island. No one knew how, why or where the owners had gone off to but a nasty divorce was suspected. Despite the breeder-buyer contract, the buyer had not bothered to reach back out to either him or the bitch's owner who was in Australia. Instead, the young four-month old puppy had simply been left behind as if she were nothing. Micro-chipped, the rescue had been able to back-track her to the breeder in Australia where it all came round robin to Jasper.

"A puppy." Jasper groaned dramatically into the air. "What do you think of that, big guy?" His only reply was another round of loud thumps, though Jasper assumed that General would have something to say when his private space was invaded by his young four-month old daughter.

Less than five minutes later, his email chimed and he choked out a sarcastic disbelieving laugh. A pair of rather devious  _someones_  had already coordinated the puppy's flight plans in tandem and Jazz seriously wondered if his call with the administrator had taken place at the airport. Putting Adrian Parker on the back-burner, he had scarcely two hours to collect the puppy.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Hi!" Jasper took a full surprised step back when he opened his front door. Keys in hand with his printed airport documents under his arm, he was running out already to get the puppy. Instead, a pretty Asian woman stood happily on his doorstep holding a large bakery box. Shoving it into his hands, she pushed past him into his house at the same time she realized he had his car keys out.

"Bad timing? You're going out?" Utterly confused, Jasper followed her the few steps it took to get to the kitchen. General was already all over the unexpected guest with a happy greeting.

"He's cute!" She was on her knees down with her arms wrapped around his dog's neck. The two were getting on famously after only seconds of meeting.

"Excuse me?" Jasper frowned down at the pair and then made a sterner face for General's benefit. They'd have to have a discussion about the bullie's new inability to provide more protection inside the house.

"Do I know you?" It was then he saw her knee. Not exactly kneeling correctly, he saw it then. The single pristine bandage on a knee not nearly as bent for the stitches that lay there. The  _surfing_  injury. Alan's last abducted victim was in his own home. Relaxed, happily laughing and she had brought him cake as if they were life-long friends. Jazz lost his voice entirely when he realized who was now visiting him. She was very much alive and she'd come to see him. He had definitely been shirking things he needed to do for much too long since getting home from the hospital.

"Oh." The weak-ish sound was all he could get out as Kono carefully stood up to retrieve the bakery box. He was only momentarily saved from further embarrassment by her own apologetic chatter.

"Hi, Doctor Mitchell. I'm Kono Kalakaua and we never got a proper opportunity to actually meet." Kono was smiling warmly as she placed the box on the counter. "I took a chance because after trying the clinic, they said you hadn't been in to work yet. I thought it might be okay to swing by your house, but you're obviously on the way out. Maybe we can meet again when it's more convenient?"

"Oh." She laughed again and squinted her mouth up a the same time. Her laugh was a breathy, easy noise and Jazz swallowed hard. He hadn't realized that she was so very pretty.

"What am I keeping you from?" He stared and said nothing until Kono waved her hand in front of his nose. "Hey, Doc? You okay?" Once more, she laughed and then tucked her hair behind her ear and Jazz managed a stupid grin.

"Puppy." He shrugged, General wagged his tail and Kono laughed more. His brain was back-firing and screaming at him but his scrambling mouth refused to find the words.

_"What a nice surprise It's nice to meet you and I'm sorry that I didn't try you first. I was wondering how you were doing after all this time and I'm so glad you stopped by. I am on my way out. Yes, I'm on my way to get a puppy from the airport. One of General's daughter's. A mercy mission really .. poor thing was abandoned."_

The words were inside him. Stuck forever as his faced reddened in embarrassment and he shrugged lamely. "Yeah. Puppy."

"So?" She squinted her forehead and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Kono hadn't meant to rattle him and especially the way he seemed to be so sweetly nervous. Choosing to ignore it, she decided to just ask the most likely of things. "A puppy? That means what, exactly?"

It was enough for Jasper to shake the idiotic thickness from his stumbling brain. He nearly sighed in relief when she completely and so obviously turned a blind eye to his embarrassment. "Airport. I'm on the way to the airport to pick up a puppy that was abandoned on the Big Island."

Her face changed again as she beamed happily with genuine interest. "And you're helping? That's nice, Doc."

"Jasper." He blurted more easily. Kono was more than relaxed and very approachable. Heaving a sigh, he smiled in return as his nerves calmed as quickly as they flared. "Or, Jazz. The puppy is one of General's and she was abandoned a few days ago."

"Can I come along?" His face fell as his brain malfunctioned once more. More because he was stunned by the suddenness of the question.

"What? Really?" He would need to thank her later, because she clearly understood his issue. Completely unaffected by his wavering sense of confidence, Kono only grinned at him.

"I have nothing to do and would love to see her. We would have more of a chance to talk and catch up." Kono motioned to her knee and then outside to the glorious sunshine.

"I certainly can't surf yet and so, maybe I can help? I have all day and frankly, I'm bored." It was the truth for there wasn't much more than that on her agenda. Not really his either, though he'd have to get over his instant bout of puppy-love. The thought made him smirk at himself and he nodded before laughing.

"Absolutely! I'd be happy for the company."

_**~ to be continued ~** _


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
> 
> Notes: here we go - the end - thanks for the great comments. :-) I appreciate each and every one! I understand the story was "OC-centric", but I did try to balance it as best as possible. Sometimes a story just has to go the way it goes ...

**Chapter 19**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

After first calling Ramirez to discuss the proposition in more detail, he had called Adrian Parker to finally accept the offer of owning the clinic. Per Ramirez's strong recommendations, he had also retained his own lawyer and would be setting up a formal lawyerly meeting to finalize papers.

Excited about his future, Jasper went directly to work on Monday morning.

In comparison, it wasn't going as well with the small puppy. Life with General's daughter lasted the length of one car ride, the patience of one new-found friend, and then barely the span of the remainder of an atrocious weekend.

He didn't dare leave the two dogs in the same house, despite the large crate the puppy was now housed in. Loading the crate into the Jeep in the morning, the little hooligan made the trip to the office with him. Distracted with his illicit plan, he noticed the one or two cars parked out front but kept driving to park in the back of the old renovated house. Taking the chance that she wouldn't damage his truck, he then made two hasty trips into the office from the parking lot. One to bring in the empty crate, leaving the puppy five whole minutes alone to terrorize the interior of his truck. He genuinely thanked the heavens when she hadn't messed or destroyed anything before carefully carrying her in through the back door.

"Stay and hush!" One finger raised, he warned General's carmel-eyed brat and then tried to sneak out for the main office. "Koa, I mean it. Hush!"

It was early and he expected only the receptionist to be there preparing for the day and he hoped that she might be able to help him a few hours at a time. As soon as he was out of sight, the crescendo was immediate, followed by the scrabbling of paws against the sides of the rather large crate. The creaking of metal and crackling of plastic followed him down the hall and he winced automatically. There was no doubt that it sounded as if someone was being killed in the office as her incoherent yowl's gained in volume. He needed to find a home for the puppy .. and fast.

After nearly losing her pony-tail to the puppy's tugging teeth in the car ride home from the airport, Kono's mocking suggestion was beginning to sound more of a reality than a joke. On top of that, General's less than enthusiastic welcome was alarming. Extremely jealous, General took great exception to his space being invaded. His deep growls and raised lips did nothing to intimidate his daughter as she bravely refused to back down.

"What is that?" The male voice was loud and came from the small lobby. Jazz groaned again as he heard who he guessed was a patient already complaining about the ruckus. It was going to be a long day if he couldn't find a better solution very quickly. Practicing a quick explanation and swearing to have some sort of foster care in place by lunch time, he was ready to explain what was going on before things got truly out of hand.

"This is not how I thought my first day would be." He complained to himself under his breath. "Not one bit and this not what I want it to be."

Ready to take control of the morning's interruption with the one or two patients that might already be there, instead he walked directly into Steve McGarrett who was rounding the corner on a jog. Both Danny and Ramirez were directly behind him; the Detective evidently as equally concerned as the Commander for the cautionary hand on his gun.

"Hey!" Jazz smirked with a backhanded gesture towards the most horrendous din. "It's okay. I didn't expect to see you both here."

"What's going on?" Ramirez demanded with a critical tone. It made Jasper feel like a two-year old and he glared back as the big doctor tried to peer down the hallway. "It's fine. I'm taking care of it." Tired from a stressful weekend, he wasn't at all happy by what seemed a challenge.

"Is everything okay?" At the same time, Danny voiced his question while motioning towards the offices. Minus the sling, his arm was still bandaged leaving him to awkwardly drape his left hand over his holstered weapon.

"Yes." Jasper exclaimed over the incredibly increasing noise. "It's fine. I got it under control .. mostly."

"You sure? Because it sounds like someone's being killed in here!" Jasper grimaced at that comparison but still caught the not so amused glare from Steve to Danny. Ramirez only rolled his eyes as if to apologize for the comment.

"Yeah, well." Danny huffed in annoyance while glancing from one to the other. "What can I say. It does. So what's going on? We swung by to offer our congratulations about your new ownership of this place."

"You told them already?" Curiously, Jazz glanced to Ramirez who barely had the decency to appear to be a bit mortified.

Crossing his arms in self-defense, Ponch nodded. "Well, it's good news and they asked .. and well .. it's good news!"

Jasper closed his eyes and shook his head as his world changed more rapidly than he could draw a simple breath. He was hoping for a more methodical announcement of the ownership changes; something slow and steady or very controllable. Before he could say another word, they were all distracted when the yips and yelps began to end on a long, mournful howl.

"It's a puppy?" Danny started to grin and completely relaxed when he recognized the noise finally for what it was. "You got a dog in here? Another addition to the family?"

"Yes, one of General's daughters. No way .. she's not staying." Jasper had just about had it after a weekend of messes, destruction, near dog-fights and much too much opinion by the small hooligan who was now not so well hidden in his office. With the three confused men standing in front of him, he could only sigh before literally throwing his hands in the air. "No, and I can explain."

He blanched and turned when the crash sounded from his office. "Oh .. no!" Jazz knew from his short experience what she'd done before he even saw the movement. "No no!"

"Ah! She's smart .. hey, puppy!" Using his best happy voice, Danny was still smiling as the small brindle tornado came hurtling down the hallway, hell-bent to escape her dungeon. Convinced she'd be no issue to intercept, Danny hunkered down and held out his left arm.

Measuring the trajectory, Steve didn't think it a wise move as the little brown blur scrambled wildly towards them on the slick floor. "Uh. Danny, bad idea. Watch the arm."

Dogs liked him and he certainly liked them, so keeping his voice light, Danny waved off Steve's concern. "It's fine. She'll stop."

"Don't think so." Steve muttered under his breath as he was forced to watch the coming catastrophe unfold.

"Hey, puppy, puppy, puppy!" Danny continued calling as she got closer and her speed increased. Too late, he realized that Koa didn't seem to hear him at all. She saw the four big shapes and kept going for the glimmer of sunlight which spelled freedom. She was certainly going to avoid the one man who didn't seem to relish her jokes or sense of humor. He had bought the evil box and she was not interested in his grasping fingers.

"Koa! Stop .. come!" Jasper was not smiling as he lunged forward to grab her body and missed as she scrunched herself to the floor. He fell to his knees and cursed as he just skimmed her soft coat. Her momentum carried her into Danny next, but limited by having only one arm, he only wound up sitting splayed on the tile floor. She wiggled free with ease and kept going closer to where she scented open air and sunshine.

However, Danny went down with a strained  _ooph_ , followed by an  _ow_  of pain as he jarred the deepest of the healing wound by his wrist. Trying to simultaneously catch his partner and gauge the puppy's route, Steve lunged forward next. "Danny!" Steve blurted in surprise when he tripped over him instead of helping. Too late then for the careening speed of the puppy, Steve almost followed their example, only to catch himself awkwardly against the wall.

"What is going on here!" Ramirez was stunned by Steve's resounding thud into the wall and by the two men who were both suddenly on the floor. His eyes widened as the brindle bundle of energy came in his direction. Holding his hands out, Ponch called on his best military and most severe tone of voice which stilled the very air around all of them.

"Stop! Bad puppy!" Skidding on all four paws, even Koa looked startled when the loud booming shout came down upon her very head. "Stay!"

The linoleum was like ice as Koa fell to her tummy and slid with her ears back directly into a solid wall of the last man's legs. "Bad, bad puppy!"

She knew she was  _puppy_ , and the other man with the evil box had said that first thing so many times that weekend, Koa knew it was a dissatisfying reprimand. This was different and she instantly felt obligated to listen even if she didn't understand the words. Instead of cringing though, she craned her head up to see where the big voice had come from. It took some doing as she put her paws under her and backed up, ready to flee again. Instead she forgot the sunshine and the enticing scent of freedom only to bark immediately when she saw this new man's very stern face.

He wasn't happy with her; that was obvious. Yet she knew that wouldn't last. One small puppy bark sounded that was full of  _play, you found me_  and _I want you_. She barked again and reared up on her hind legs to bat at his knees. When she hit the ground, her bottom went up and her tail swung in a tight circle. In short, the change was astonishing as a new, much-improved Koa strutted around Ponch's legs very happily.

"So, Jasper." Danny asked coyly over the young doctor's profuse apologies and the final declaration that his wrist was indeed fine. "This looks like it's meant to be."

After that comment, it didn't take much for Maddie's voice to ring in Jasper's head about fate and luck. "You're right." He gaped from Danny to the overly excited puppy before laughing. "I think so. Yes, I do."

"No!" Even the big man seemed to understand what she said because he backed up instantly. "Oh no you don't!" Refusing to give ground, Koa already had his pants' hem in her teeth. Puppy-growling in full swing, Ponch dragged her backwards with every step he took. Butt-high, she was tenacious and very determined as she clung to the fabric of her new man. "Mitchell!"

Still with Danny and making sure one final time that he hadn't injured his healing wrist, Jazz could only smile. The two were now standing side by side and grinning like loons because this was what Kono had suggested. " _Ramirez likes General so much .. and he's got his niece .. plus the space and a yard."_

She had laughed and then Jazz had, too. He had thought it a ridiculous intrusion. But now ... well  _now_ , the hooligan was deciding it for them all as she refused to let go of the big doctor's pants. Because, like Maddie said, this was serendipity.

"She likes you, Doc." Steve drawled out laughingly. "Congratulations, buddy. It's a girl."

_**~ End ~** _


End file.
